More than 100 protesters gathered at Boston Common Oct. 7 for a pro-Palestinian rally and march marking the second anniversary of Hamas’ attacks on Israel, which sparked the Israel-Hamas war.

After mobilizing on Tremont Street, the protest became hostile when individuals refused to exit the area between the Park Street MBTA stop and Winter Street, resulting in 13 arrests and injuries to four police officers, according to the Boston Police Department, or BPD. 

While who organized the protest is unclear, several Boston area universities’ Students for Justice in Palestine, or SJP, groups were tagged in an Oct. 4 Instagram post releasing information on the event. The tags included SJP groups at Northeastern, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, Simmons University and Berklee College of Music. 

Before the arrests and injuries took place, speakers and protesters emphasized the need for immediate action against Israel. Many also felt a sense of hopefulness, citing the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s civilian aid missions and U.S.-backed peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

“We have to work in furtherance to end the genocide as soon as possible. And I think that type of urgency needs to be felt with the ruling class and the people who control the government,” said Max Zatlin, a fourth-year economics student at Boston University. 

On Oct. 8, Israel and Hamas reached a deal to release all Israeli hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners, a long-awaited, positive move toward ending the war. 

Protesters met at the Embrace Memorial in Boston Common at 5:30 p.m., where chants and speeches began shortly after. Palestinian flags and signs reading “Free the people, free them all,” “Intifada till victory” and “Stop starving Gaza” waved in the air. Drums and tambourines accompanied spirited call-and-response chants between speakers. The crowd was largely masked, and several held keffiyehs in the air to shield cameras pointed at speakers.

Speakers urged not only for Palestinian liberation but for collective justice of Indigenous Americans, people in Tigray, Sudan, the Congo and political prisoners across the world.  

“We cannot allow ourselves or anyone else to simply limit our understanding of these events as just noting vague similarities or believing that they exist as separate forms of violence,” one speaker said. 

About 20 minutes in, a man with an Israeli flag draped on his back began walking around the outskirts of the group. Several protesters swarmed him and held Palestinian flags in front of his face, once again shielding the speakers from sight. 

The counterprotester, who identified himself as Edward but refused to give his last name for fear of societal retaliation, was on a balcony near the Common when he heard about the protest.

“I want to see peace in Gaza,” Edward said. “[The protesters] don’t want to see that peace. They already rejected the plan.” 

However, many pro-Palestinian protesters urged peace during their remarks. 

“I want to see the withdrawal of Israel. I would like to see a free, independent Palestine and the end of illegal settlements in Palestine,” said Casey Diana, an affiliate of ABC Clinic.

By 6:45 p.m., the area surrounding the Embrace memorial was covered in chalked pro-Palestine messages as the group began to walk out of the Common and onto Tremont Street.

The chant “IDF, BPD, KKK, they’re all the same” rang through the crowd after several officers started following the protesters on bikes. The chanting grew louder when BPD officers began circling protesters who refused to move off the street. 

At about 6:48 p.m., protesters dispersed red smoke into the air. In a few minutes, officers were seen pinning several individuals to the ground and putting their hands in zip ties. 

Nini Oliveira, a 17-year-old protester, stumbled upon the height of the protest while walking home.

“As soon as we get here, we see people getting tackled, people having bikes thrown on top of them, cops breaking anything they know,” she said.

While unaware of the protest’s goals at the time, Oliveira noticed the signs and Palestinian flags and joined in chanting from the sidelines. 

“As soon as I see it, my blood just starts, and I just start saying, ‘Free Palestine,’ because what is happening is extremely upsetting,” she said. 

After arrestees were taken from the scene, an estimated 50 police officers created a circle around the intersection, moving protesters to the sidewalks on either side. A few protesters with red duct-taped plus signs on their shirts assisted four individuals who were pepper-sprayed in the face.

At 6:56 p.m., organizers spread word to continue to march down Winter Street. Less than half of the crowd continued and dispersed around 7 p.m. when several BPD patrol vehicles parked next to the Downtown Crossing MBTA station. A few individuals lingered in the area after organizers left, one being Oliveira. 

“This doesn’t only affect Palestinians,” she said. “This affects everybody of every race because we are all humans. We are humans, so we should love each other.”

Editor’s note: The headline of this article was changed at 11:15 a.m. Oct. 10 to reflect that Oct. 7 is the anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel. The Israeli cabinet officially declared war Oct. 8.