Hannah Liechty, a supporter of the arrested protesters, holds a sign outside of Boston Municipal Court. Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — More than 100 Emerson College students, who were arrested overnight while protesting the war in Gaza, are now set to be arraigned next week. Arraignments were originally scheduled for Thursday, just hours after the demonstrators refused to leave their encampment in Boylston Place Alley.
Dozens of protesters lined up outside of Boston Municipal Court Thursday morning. Supporters of the pro-Palestinian protesters, like Hannah Liechty, also gathered outside the courthouse to show solidarity.
They claim Boston Police used unnecessary force to make the arrests. “I saw the videos and have been to the encampment the last few days, and there was no reason to use that level of force,” said Liechty.
Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
Liechty also believes that the arrests will only worsen the situation and embolden students to continue protesting about the situation in Gaza instead of backing down.
"This is what the system does. There is no such thing as a peaceful protest to them if we don't say what they want us to say," said Sirene, another supporter.
Read More: Boston Police Arrest 108 Pro-Palestinian Protestors At Emerson
Boston Police said that four officers were injured while clearing the alley. In body cam footage provided to WBZ NewsRadio, officers could be heard giving a warning to demonstrators and reading an ordinance that prohibits camping on public property.
"We don't want to arrest anybody. We support your right to protest. I'm indifferent, okay? I don't have a side either way. I want you to be able to peacefully do this. However, with a popular street I can't have that," said Boston Police Captain Sean Martin.
"There are a lot of fire codes being broken and a lot of bigger things going on that we just can't allow," he explained to protesters before the arrests.
However, Boston Police did not provide WBZ NewsRadio with body cam footage of the actual arrests, only of what happened beforehand. A Boston Police spokesperson said that the footage still needs to be reviewed by detectives.
"The responsibility of the city is to ensure that we are focused on the safety and well-being of everyone in the city," said Mayor Michelle Wu in a statement responding to the arrests. "Boston is a city where upholding the right to protest is very important to us, and we have many, many events and protests that occur in the city on a regular basis that take place without incident."
Wu clarified that leading up to the Emerson College arrests, city officials communicated to the school and the protest organizers that "there was no issue with the protests," and that "we welcome and uphold and respect the right to peacefully protest in public spaces in our city."
She explained, "The issue was with fire hazards from the tents and the public health and safety risks that encampments and tents in particular pose in the city."
Read More: Pro-Palestine Harvard Students Set Up Encampment In Harvard Yard
The ACLU of Massachusetts released a statement on the arrests, saying the police response "risked the safety and well-being of all in the area."
“There is a distinction between removing encampments to ensure safe access to a public right of way and using physical violence against students engaging in peaceful expression," added the civil liberties organization.
Emerson College has confirmed that classes on the Boston campus are canceled on Thursday. The school also said that demonstrations will be prohibited at Boylston Place Alley through the weekend, and that security will be increased in the alley.
In a letter to students, Emerson College President Jay Bernhardt said that the school is still "gathering information about the arrests and will share this information as it becomes available."
"Emerson College recognizes and respects the civic activism and passion that sparked the protest in Boylston Place Alley in support of Palestine while also holding and communicating concerns related to the numerous ordinance violations caused by their encampment," Bernhardt said. "We also understand that clearing the encampment has significantly and adversely impacted our community."
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Last updated: 2:35 p.m. 4/25/24.
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.
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