Local News

Live updates: Pro-Palestinian protests roil Boston-area campuses

Emerson, Tufts, Harvard, Northeastern, and MIT are among the local schools grappling with encampments.

By Peter Chianca, Molly Farrar, Emily Spatz, Faith Pinnow, Abby Patkin, and Ross Cristantiello

updated on May 4, 2024

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email
• Email
• 240

Since first popping up at Columbia University in New York City April 18, student encampments of pro-Palestinian protesters have been emerging on college campuses around the country, including several at prominent Boston-area universities.

As of Tuesday, April 30, protesters at MIT, Tufts University, and Harvard University were occupying outdoor spaces on or near campuses to demand the schools cut ties with Israeli companies and the Israeli military and call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

On April 25, police arrested more than 100 Emerson students and dispersed the camp, which was in a public alley near the college. Police arrested a similar number of students at an encampment at Northeastern two days later.

Follow below for regular updates on the campus unrest:

Nearly 150 Emerson parents call for president’s resignation (May 3)

About a week after Boston Police swept through an alleyway at Emerson College to clear out a pro-Palestinian encampment set up by student demonstrators, almost 150 parents are calling for President Jay Bernhardt’s resignation. 

A total of 118 protesters were arrested. The students are not facing disciplinary charges from Emerson. They are being arraigned this week, with many agreeing to deals that require them to perform community service in exchange for a dismissal of the case and its removal from their criminal record, according to student newspaper The Berkeley Beacon. 

Last week, the Emerson Student Government Association unanimously passed a resolution calling on President Jay Bernhardt to resign. A group of parents now say they “support and adopt the reasoning and conclusions” laid out in that resolution. 

“President Bernhardt has lost the trust of Emerson students and their parents. We may seem the lesser stakeholders. But such thinking is a mistake. Tuition is a significant part of any institution’s revenue and current students are its future alumni. More importantly, students are the very reason for the institution’s existence. Putting those students who were non-violently exercising their rights of free expression and assembly in harm’s way is a gross abrogation of leadership,” Emerson parents said in a petition. 

The petition has received 147 signatures, according to response data reviewed by Boston.com. 

The parents pushed for a third party investigation and a review of how Emerson administrators handled the events surrounding both the arrests of students at the encampment and those that occurred outside Bernhardt’s inauguration in March. 

In the March incident, 13 protesters were arrested outside the Cutler Majestic Theatre as they demonstrated against the college’s tuition hikes and “silence on the ongoing genocide in Gaza.” The results of any third party investigation, the parents said, should be available unredacted for the entire Emerson community. 

In a letter after the encampment was dismantled, Bernhardt detailed the administration’s perspective on the matter. The school made “every possible effort” to avoid confrontation between police and protesters at the encampment, he said. Emerson officials advocated with the city for days to delay police action, and encouraged protesters to remove the tents and avoid arrest when it became clear that the city intended to clear the alley. Bernhardt also said that the college “strongly and directly advocated” for Boston Police to not make arrests. 

The parents levied a series of accusations at Bernhardt, including a failure to keep students safe, a lack of transparency, not negotiating with students in good faith, and not calling for any investigation into how BPD officers handled the arrests. 

Both parents and students have accused the BPD of using excessive violence and causing injuries during the crackdown. 

“They were nonviolent, just sitting, protesting peacefully, and [they were] dragged away by police in riot gear with batons. It’s not the society we should be living in,” Mohan, a parent of one of the arrested students who asked only to be referred to by his first name, told Boston.com earlier this week. 

Emerson’s Board of Trustees has publicly supported Bernhardt, and his ouster does not appear to be imminent.  

“Authentic leadership and engaged partnership between all stakeholders in Emerson College, including administration, students, faculty, staff, and parents, must be the guiding principles for the college presidency,” the petition states. “Jay Benhardt has proven that he is sorely lacking in these areas and has lost the trust of the student body and their parents. New leadership is needed to guide the Emerson College community forward.”

Auchincloss says student encampment is ‘illegal’ under Civil Rights Act (May 3)

After visiting Harvard University on Thursday, Congressman Jake Auchincloss spoke out against the encampment set up by pro-Palestinian demonstrators there. 

“I believe they’re disparately treating their Israeli students, in particular, and they’re (giving) a hostile learning environment for both their Jewish and Israeli students,” Auchincloss told reporters, per The Boston Herald. “That’s illegal.”  

Auchincloss reportedly cited Title VI, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. The Department of Education keeps a running list of institutions under investigation for possibly violating Title VI. 

One investigation into Harvard was opened last November after officials received a complaint alleging discrimination based on shared Jewish and/or Israeli ancestry, The Boston Globe reported at the time. That investigation is no longer listed on the Department of Education’s website.  

Another investigation into Harvard was opened on Feb. 6. That investigation was filed in response to a complaint from the Muslim Legal Fund of America. The group claims Harvard failed to protect students from “harassment, intimidation, and threats based solely on their status as Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and supporters of Palestinian rights.” It is still open. 

Auchincloss met with Jewish and Israeli students on campus Thursday, and came away with the impression that Harvard officials need to somehow shut down the encampment. 

“The oppressive and overbearing culture that is anti-zionist does not represent the median American, nor does it represent the core values of America,” he told Boston 25 News.

Earlier in the week, Auchincloss wrote a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber and the leaders of other Massachusetts universities in response to the Anti-Defamation League’s recent antisemitism report card, which assigned letter grades to schools based on reports of antisemitism on campus and how officials responded. Harvard, MIT, Tufts and UMass Amherst all received an “F” grade. 

“At a time when antisemitic incidents on campuses are at historic levels, administrators must adopt new policies to address this scourge, enforce existing codes of conduct, and re-center faculty and staff on the mission to educate critical thinkers able to engage in civil discourse,” he wrote. 

On Wednesday, the House passed legislation that would broaden the definition of antisemitism that the Department of Education uses to enforce anti-discrimination laws. It would make the legal definition of antisemitism include the “targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity.” The legislation’s fate in the Senate is unclear. 

Although it received some bipartisan support, Auchincloss voted against the proposal. He called it unconstitutional, saying that it would “constrain academic freedom.”

In full-page newspaper ads, Robert Kraft condemns ‘hate and polarization’ emanating from protests (May 3)

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a letter Thursday condemning the pro-Palestine protests on college campuses across the country, intimating that the protesters are keeping Jewish students “from feeling safe, pursuing their studies, or having their voices heard.”

The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism founder distributed the letter through full-page newspaper advertisements, running in major cities like Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Miami and Boston. Calling out protesters from coast-to-coast, Kraft said he was “deeply saddened” by the “hate and polarization taking place today.”

Thursday’s letter is just the first step towards a larger campaign that will launch sometime in May, coinciding with American Jewish Heritage Month. 

An alum of Columbia University, Kraft has been previously outspoken about the protests that began on April 17. A week after the school’s encampment was erected, and subsequently forcefully quashed, Kraft announced he would halt donations to Columbia. 

“I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken,” Kraft said on April 22. 

In his most recent statement, Kraft calls for accountability for students who choose to engage in demonstrations that protest what they say they consider an ongoing genocide in Gaza. 

“Shouting vile, hate-filled labels at students while hiding behind masks is not free speech — it is cowardice. Instead of colleges and universities teaching the core principles of free speech and debate our country was founded on, they are emboldening hate that is tearing their campuses, and our youth apart,” he wrote. 

“Vicious hate speech and physical intimidation, preventing others from feeling safe, pursuing their studies, or having their voices heard is completely unacceptable,” Kraft wrote.

The letter comes just hours before House Republicans deployed a task force to investigate student-led protests that have erupted in response to the Israel-Hamas war. Kraft argues that student protesters, who have frequently been met with strong measures of police force over the past month, “need to be held accountable.”

“Today, and every day, at FCAS we are standing up to Jewish hate and all hate, and I encourage our nation’s university leaders to act with courage and wisdom so that knowledge, not hate, is what is being produced on our nation’s campuses,” he said.

Protesters arrested at Dartmouth, UNH; MIT students block traffic (May 2)

Students around New England continued to demonstrate Wednesday and early Thursday, leading to tense standoffs with police and dozens of arrests. 

At Dartmouth College, the Hanover Police Department said that it arrested 90 people, including students and those not affiliated with the school. They were charged with offenses including criminal trespass and resisting arrest. 

Dartmouth officials learned that protesters were planning to set up an encampment and told police that the move would not be allowed. The school told students Wednesday afternoon that school rules specifically prohibit the use of tents on the green. Officials distributed fliers warning demonstrators to “cease the disruption immediately,” NHPR reported. 

After the tents were erected, police made multiple announcements to the demonstrators that they must disperse. While some did, many stayed, according to police. 

At one point, police and protesters faced off on the campus green as onlookers watched officers make arrests one by one. Reporters from WMUR captured video of an elderly protester being brought to the ground and detained. 

Eventually, everyone was forced off the green, including members of the press. Police marched down South Main Street in Hanover to further disperse the protesters, WMUR reported. 

At the University of New Hampshire, activists planned a “May Day Rally for Palestine” for Wednesday evening. An encampment was then set up in front of Thompson Hall. UNH Police gave three warnings over a loudspeaker announcing protesters’ permit for demonstrating on campus had been revoked and that the gathering was unlawful, according to The Boston Globe. They waited about 45 minutes before taking action. 

Video posted on social media shows police and protesters grappling over banners amid dismantled tents. 

About 15 to 20 people were arrested at UNH, the Globe reported. UNH Police Chief Paul Dean told the paper that officers were assaulted, and that protesters threw things at them. Dean said outside parties contributed to the escalation. 

“Had they just continued to do their peaceful protest, it would have ended just like every protest: noneventful,” Dean told the Globe. “But there was outside influence here that I’m not even sure permit holders could control.”

Student activists said the police response was over the top. 

“What I saw tonight was the most intense display of police violence that I’ve personally seen, and I was really shocked to see it on a college campus,” Joshua Trombley told the Globe. 

On the MIT campus in Cambridge, pro-Palestinian protesters blocked traffic at an intersection along Massachusetts Avenue. Footage taken by a WCVB news helicopter showed them waving Palestinian flags and various signs. The intersection was cleared around 6 p.m. Protesters dispersed to other parts of the campus, where an encampment has been in existence for days. 

MIT faculty say a police crackdown on student encampment would cause “irreparable harm” (May 1)

More than a dozen MIT faculty members sent letters to the university’s administration urging them to allow the pro-Palestine student encampment at the school to continue and ask police not to intervene. 

The letters, released by the MIT Alliance of Concerned Faculty, urge the school to continue negotiations with protesters and avoid sending police in to clear the camp on Kresge Lawn, as other nearby schools have done. Many professors, who signed off on their letters anonymously, warned that police intervention would cause the situation to escalate. 

“I think we all agree that without negotiations this will go terribly south. I am also sure that none, neither students nor admin wants this,” one professor writes. “Nor can any faculty fathom a police crackdown on our campus.”

The release of the letters come days after MIT President Sally Kornbluth said the encampment, though it has remained peaceful, “needs to end soon.” The statements from faculty, some addressed directly to Kornbluth, both thanked the president for her restrained response to the demonstration so far and pushed back on her message that the encampment is breaking university rules and is disruptive. 

“I have been so very proud of MIT for its recent very calm and rational approach to the encampment. You have torn this by your statement just now,” an emeritus professor wrote in a letter responding to Kornbluth’s April 27 statement. “You have played a card. The encampment will play card. I pray that rationality will prevail — including negotiations on the terms specified by the encampment. The alternative would be extremely damaging to the students, to MIT, and to you and your administration.”

“I visited the encampment on Wednesday afternoon and wanted to share with you what I saw: there was music playing, students working on their computers, sharing food, ideas, and knowledge with one another,” one professor wrote. “They were coming and going from class, and were committed to having their voice heard at MIT. It was a diverse group of students truly reflecting MIT’s diversity: Muslim and Jewish, Black, White, and Brown.”

Professors warned that sending in police would “irreparably harm [the] Institute’s standing” and cause damage that “will be deep and long-lasting.”

The Alliance for Concerned Faculty urged the school to meet students’ demands if it wanted the encampment to end, noting that the demands “are modest, well-researched and morally and ethically consistent with MIT values.”

Tufts students threaten to boycott commencement if encampments broken up by police (May 1)

More than 320 graduating students at Tufts University have signed on to a letter pledging to boycott commencement if the school decides to send in police to empty a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. 

The letter, titled “Not in Our Name: No Commencement Sweeps” follows a statement by the university Sunday that said the encampment must end so the university can prepare for commencement celebrations. 

“We were shocked and deeply concerned by your email sent Sunday evening using the approaching commencement ceremony as a pretext for implied violence against the students currently protesting on the Academic Quad,” the letter, addressed to university President Sunil Kumar and signed by undergraduate and graduate students who will reportedly be graduating this month, reads. 

Commencement at Tufts is scheduled for May 19 and will partly take place on the academic quad where the encampment is set up. In its statement Sunday, Tufts administration said it has delayed commencement preparations “as much as possible” and tried to keep open communication with protesters. 

On Tuesday, Tufts said it would issue a no trespass order against protesters and remove the encampment because negotiations between demonstrators and administration had broken down. 

“As previously reported, the university issued a no trespass order to the protesters in the encampment on its academic quad yesterday evening,” university spokesperson Patrick Collins said in a statement Wednesday. “Today, President Kumar has met with protest leaders in the spirit of exploring every path possible for a peaceful and voluntary resolution and a successful Commencement for our graduates and their loved ones. We have no further updates at this time.”

The letter from graduating students condemns the “violent police riots” at nearby schools, including Emerson College and Northeastern University, and says that a commencement “built on violently sweeping, arresting, or otherwise harassing the Gaza solidarity encampment is not a celebration in which we would partake.”

“If the Tufts administration were to unleash this violence against our peers currently occupying the Academic Quad, it would mar our experience of commencement far more than chalked slogans and a keffiyeh on an elephant statue ever could,” the letter continues. 

The letter also emphasizes the situation in Gaza, including the over 34,000 Palestinians who have been killed since October and the number of academic institutions that have been destroyed. Undersigned students also call on the school to divest from companies doing business with Israel and disclose its investments there. 

“Let us be perfectly clear: we believe that ending the University’s complicity in slaughter and famine in Gaza is far more important than holding a ‘normal’ commencement ceremony,” the letter reads. “If the university turns to police violence rather than engaging with its own students, we pledge to boycott the commencement ceremony in solidarity with our peers currently protesting on the Academic Quad and the people of Gaza.”

Tufts says it will remove encampment, issue no trespass order as negotiations with protesting students fail (April 30)

Negotiations between Tufts administration and student protesters at a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus have failed, and the school will be taking action to forcibly remove demonstrators, according to both the school and a post from Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine. 

Tufts said in a statement at about 5 p.m. that deans of the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering met with student representatives of encampment protesters twice on Tuesday. 

“Regrettably, despite our best efforts to find a solution, the protesters have refused our offers and have continued to escalate matters by expanding the encampment on the academic quad,” said several school officials, including president Sunil Kumar, in the statement. 

Student representatives refused to discuss the school’s proposals to address protesters’ concerns, the school said, and instead insisted on a meeting with the president, chief investment officer, and the board of trustees. 

“The university agreed to such a meeting in writing on the condition that the encampment end first and that the protesters agree not to disrupt Commencement,” the school wrote. “This offer, which remains on the table, was rejected, and the meeting ended without an agreement.”

Tufts also said that protesters have “escalated” the situation by inviting outside demonstrators in, are appropriating furniture rented by Tufts and refusing to return it, and have “harassed and intimidated staff as they try to clean areas that were vandalized.”

“Notably, they also rejected a suggestion to move the encampment to an alternative location on campus so they could continue advocating their position while Commencement preparations begin,” Tufts said. 

The school said it is trying to avoid confrontations seen at other universities, but that the encampment needs to end. Tufts is planning to issue a no trespass order to the protesters, and Tufts students who don’t leave the encampment may be subject to suspension or other disciplinary actions, the school said. 

“It is our strong desire that it does not come to this, and the protesters choose to leave voluntarily,” Tufts said. 

But Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine, or SJP Tufts, seemed to double down on its demonstration, based on the group’s Instagram posts. A post made at about 4 p.m. Tuesday says that the university is locking down all buildings on the academic quad starting at 5 p.m. “until further notice” and asks for more people to join the encampment. 

“Negotiations have failed. The university has said that they will forcibly remove the encampment with a ‘heavy hand,’” SJP Tufts wrote in the post. 

Tufts University did not directly respond to questions from Boston.com about whether it told protesters it would come down with a “heavy hand” or whether it was closing buildings near the encampment. 

UMass Amherst students set up campus encampment, ‘peacefully dismantle’ it a day later (April 30)

Students at the University of Massachusetts’ flagship campus briefly set up an encampment this week, following in the footsteps of protesters around the world calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, broader Palestinian rights, and for their schools to cut ties with the Israeli military. 

The encampment was erected Monday morning, but was “peacefully dismantled” by the demonstrators on Tuesday, according to a message from Chancellor Javier Reyes. 

Members of the university’s “campus demonstration response team” met with protesters ahead of the encampment being dismantled. They outlined how the students could continue making their voices heard while still complying with campus rules. 

“We are fully in support of the right to free expression and conveyed to participants in the encampment that their protest could continue so long as their tents and structures, which are in violation of the campus land use policy, are removed,” Reyes said in the statement. 

University officials threatened students with arrests and sanctions, according to a video posted to Instagram by student organizers. Students said online that they were complying with UMass leaders but that police officers were “multiplying.” Protesters could be seen dismantling tents. 

The protest activity did continue later Tuesday morning. Video posted to Instagram showed a large crowd of mostly-masked people gathering amid the dismantled encampment. Organizers called for more members of the UMass community to join them. 

Another image posted to social media Tuesday showed a schedule for the day, organized by the UMass Students for Justice in Palestine group. The schedule included a meditation session, multiple speakers, a “know your rights” workshop, and acupuncture. It also showed that a walkout was being planned for Amherst Regional High School. 

Another rally is scheduled for Wednesday where organizers will “decide where [they] go from here.”

Reyes, whose inauguration last Friday was interrupted by protesters calling for UMass to divest in its partnership with Raytheon, cited university policy in his statement Tuesday. This policy is meant to ensure that space on campus is made available equally and that events do not interfere with official university functions, he said. The students behind the encampment did not submit a request for the use of the property, and that space had already been reserved for an official university event. Officials were forced to cancel it. 

Reyes thanked the activists for their cooperation and highlighted the work of student government representatives and faculty leaders in reaching a peaceful resolution. 

“We have and will continue to defend free speech and the free exchange of ideas on this campus. In this instance, once the encampment was dismantled, students gathered and resumed their peaceful protest without incident. This is the sort of outcome we strive for as we navigate these challenging times,” Reyes said. 

Last October, dozens of pro-Palestinian UMass students were arrested after participating in a sit-in outside of the chancellor’s office. The university is currently being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education for discrimination. Federal officials are investigating two complaints, one alleging UMass is not doing enough to combat anti-Jewish hate and another alleging it has allowed “extreme anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab harassment” to occur on campus. 

Congressman Jake Auchincloss set a letter to Reyes and nine other Massachusetts colleges Monday regarding the Anti-Defamation League’s recent “antisemitism report card.” In that report, colleges and universities around the country were assigned letter grades corresponding to reports of antisemitism on campus and how officials responded. 

UMass Amherst received an “F,” as did MIT, Harvard, and Tufts. Auchincloss requested that leaders at each Massachusetts school that received a grade of “C” or lower submit plans to improve their handling of antisemitism by May 17. 

“At a time when antisemitic incidents on campuses are at historic levels, administrators must adopt new policies to address this scourge, enforce existing codes of conduct, and re-center faculty and staff on the mission to educate critical thinkers able to engage in civil discourse,” he wrote. 

Northeastern chancellor explains protester arrests as first student charged gets community service (April 30)

Two days after police officers dismantled an encampent set up by pro-Palestinian protesters at Northeastern University and arrested more than 100 people, school officials and demonstrators are speaking out. 

The university faced an “untenable dilemma” over the weekend, Chancellor Ken Henderson and Provost David Madigan wrote in a statement to the Northeastern community Monday. 

The encampment on Centennial Common was “an unauthorized occupation,” and it included demonstrators who were not affiliated with the university that were trespassing on private property, the administrators said. Students rejected multiple attempts by Northeastern staff to engage with them, they said. 

As the number of protesters not affiliated with Northeastern grew, tensions escalated, Henderson and Madigan said. The university previously said the encampment was infiltrated by “professional” organizers. 

“While these non-affiliates are clearly passionate about their cause, we are not able to hold them accountable for their actions through the university’s traditional avenues and codes of conduct. The Northeastern University Police Department eventually concluded that the protest would soon present a threat to the safety of all involved,” they said. 

There was a “persistent use” of intolerant speech around the encampment, officials said. This included antisemitic statements, and the people who made them are being investigated. One statement made was “Kill the Jews,” according to the university. 

Student organizers said that “pro-Israel counter-supporters” were actually responsible for this rhetoric and said that Northeastern’s police response was based on a “fabrication.” Those words can be heard in a video posted to Instagram by pro-Palestinian organizers as well as a brief response by a gathered crowd. It is unclear who made the comments. 

Northeastern officials were left with “no choice but to act,” Henderson and Madigan said. 

Protesters were given advanced notice that the encampment would be dismantled. They were also given numerous opportunities to leave without facing legal consequences. People who refused to leave were detained, and students who showed a valid Northeastern ID were released before being officially arrested. They still stand to face disciplinary actions from the university. Demonstrators not affiliated with Northeastern or who refused to show their identification were arrested, according to the statement. 

A total of 98 people were arrested. This included 29 Northeastern students and 6 Northeastern faculty members and staff, the officials said. 

“The escalation of tensions on Friday night made it necessary to restore civility and ensure that our campus is a place where all students — including the more than 8,000 who are celebrating their commencements this week — can share in full and free access to space and facilities,” they said. 

Dozens of students now face court hearings. One of the first was Kyler Shinkle-Stolar, a 23-year-old Northeastern student who was arrested two days before waves of police swept into the encampment to clear it, GBH reported. 

Shinkle-Stolar is “not currently enrolled and had an active trespass” at the time of his arrest, a university spokesperson told The Boston Globe. 

“I was taken to Nashua Street jail where they did strip search me and held me there for about five to six hours,” Shinkle-Stolar told GBH News. “Although that was a terrible experience for me, it is nothing compared to what Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and even Israel proper are experiencing on a daily basis under occupation, apartheid and the ruthless genocidal assault that Israel has laid on all of them.”

Shinkle-Stolar was arraigned in Boston Municipal Court’s Roxbury Division Monday on a criminal trespassing charge, according to court documents. A judge dismissed that charge and instead ordered him to complete 20 hours of community service. 

Thousands rally in Boston in support of Jewish students (April 29)

As pro-Palestinian protesters continue to demonstrate on college campuses around the world, Jewish students and their supporters held a large rally in Boston Sunday. Many of the demonstrations by those advocating for Palestinian rights have veered into outright antisemitism, they said. 

The rally was put together by The Combined Jewish Philanthropies’ Center for Combating Antisemitism. Organizers said that they have seen “antisemitic rhetoric, harassment, [and] glorification of terrorism and violence” on campuses across the country. They directly reference encampments that were set up at MIT, Tufts, Emerson College, and Harvard. 

“Jewish students, faculty, and campus leaders are being targeted and they are terrified. They need our support and our love,” organizers wrote. 

The event began Sunday afternoon outside Temple Israel on Longwood Avenue. Around 2,000 people attended, according to CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston Jeremy Burton. 

Lishi Baker, a student at Columbia University, spoke about his experiences on campus in New York. The arrests of more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators there contributed to the current wave of similar protests around the country. 

“For the last 10 days, my friends and I have experienced firsthand what happens when society refuses to believe us because we are Jews. We were told inside the campus gates that we are all inbred and that we have no culture,” Baker said, according to video posted by CJP to Instagram. 

Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a longtime outspoken opponent of antisemitism, recorded a video message in support of the gathering that was played in front of the crowd. Kraft said he would suspend some of his financial support for his alma mater in the wake of the unrest there. 

While there are numerous reports of antisemitism from pro-Palestinian groups, many of those protesting are Jews themselves who say that the Israeli government is betraying the fundamental values of the Jewish faith by oppressing Palestinians and not protecting civilians in Gaza.

MIT president says encampment must end soon (April 29)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth told pro-Palestinian demonstrators that their encampment on campus “needs to end soon” in a video released Saturday. 

She made clear that MIT officials have not moved to dismantle the encampment yet out of “respect for the principles of free expression,” and said that they are open to further discussions with the protesters about how to resolve the situation. But Kornbluth’s message was clear: The dozens of demonstrators are sapping university resources, potentially attracting outside agitators, and violating procedures for registering space on campus. 

Last week, police arrested more than 100 people while clearing an encampment at Emerson College, and another 100 were detained as officers targeted an encampment at Northeastern University on Saturday morning. 

The encampments are part of a worldwide protest movement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for the rights of Palestinian civilians to be fully acknowledged and protected. Many students involved are also demanding that their universities cut any ties with the Israeli military. 

MIT officials and student organizers were set to negotiate Saturday morning. That meeting was canceled, with each side blaming the other. 

“The MIT administration chose to cancel our negotiation meeting scheduled for today, sending us an email less than 15 minutes before the agreed upon time. We will not stop fighting for an end to our ties to the Ministry of Defense of Israel. We will not be intimidated by threats, and we will remain resilient,” student organizers said in a social media post Saturday. 

In a note accompanying the video, Kornbluth said that the footage was recorded Friday morning and that it was initially set to be published the same day. Kornbluth delayed releasing the video because of the planned negotiations. 

Ahead of the meeting, students “made clear” on social media that they would not accept anything less than their original demands, Kornbluth said. 

“What’s more, despite the fact that the students were engaged with us in what we thought were good-faith discussions, a group of students disrupted another official MIT event this morning,” she said. 

The encampment on the Kresge lawn, which grew over the past week, has been in violation of MIT rules for registering and reserving space for demonstrations since the beginning, she said. Those that have already broken rules about “time, place and manner of protest” will face disciplinary action, Kornbluth promised. 

The situation has been peaceful so far, but MIT police officers are being stationed at the scene 24 hours a day out of an abundance of caution, according to the university. MIT leaders are working with the university’s police department and faculty members who are advising the students to avoid escalation, Kornbluth said.

She explained her reasoning for calling for the encampment to be dismantled soon. 

“We have heard the views of our protesting students. The grief and pain over the terrible loss of life and suffering in Gaza are palpable,” Kornbluth said. “But it is creating a potential magnet for disruptive outside protestors. It is commandeering space that was properly reserved by other members of our community. And keeping the encampment safe and secure for this set of students is diverting hundreds of staff hours, around the clock, away from other essential duties.”

 Kornbluth also spoke to the ties between Israel and research conducted by those associated with MIT. She vowed not to “compromise the academic freedom” of MIT faculty. 

“Faculty routinely work with colleagues around the world, including in Israel – and all sponsored research on our campus is openly shared, publishable, and freely available to investigators everywhere. MIT relies on rigorous processes to ensure that all funded research complies with MIT policies and with U.S. law,” she said. 

Last year, Kornbluth joined the leaders of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania to answer questions about antisemitism on campus during a congressional hearing. She is the only one of the three to still have her job. 

Kornbluth spoke about the intense pressure facing high-profile administrators like herself. In the face of demands advocating for and against the dismantling of the encampment, she said she is fully focused on primarily protecting the physical safety of those in the MIT community. 

“We are being pressed to take sides — and we’re being accused of taking sides. We’ve been told that the encampment must be torn down immediately, and that it must be allowed to stay; that discipline is not the answer, and that it is the only answer,” she said. “I can only describe the range of views as irreconcilable.”

Tufts administration says pro-Palestine encampment must end in preparation for commencement (April 28)

Tufts University administration said Sunday night that an encampment set up at the school would have to be cleared in preparation for commencement. 

“We have even delayed some preparations for Commencement as much as possible to allow the protest to resolve peacefully. But now the encampment must end, ideally peacefully and voluntarily, so we can prepare the campus for Commencement,” said several members of Tufts administration, including president Sunil Kumar, in an email to students Sunday night. “Student Life staff will be reaching out to the protesters tomorrow morning to plan for the end of the encampment in the next few days.”

A pro-Palestine encampment at Tufts was first set up on April 7 but temporarily taken down April 17, The Tufts Daily reported. It was set up again on the evening of April 21 and has been occupied since then. 

“Over the past two weeks, we have respected our community members’ right to advocate for their beliefs through a small camp site on the academic quad on our Medford/Somerville campus,” the email reads. “Our staff have tried to maintain open lines of communication with the goals of ensuring safety, enforcing our policies, and avoiding the escalation we have seen at other universities across the nation.”

The email also says that there has been behavior that is “clearly trying to escalate the situation” from participants, including entering a classroom, blocking paths, and defacing buildings with “obscene language.”

“Additional actions from the protestors throughout Friday and Saturday made multiple visitors at Friday’s Jumbo Days and Saturday’s admissions tours feel afraid and unwelcome, resulting in numerous complaints,” the statement continued. “These included harassment, intimidation, disruption of Jumbo Days sessions, and aggressive tactics. We will investigate every single complaint and hold those responsible fully accountable.”

Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine said in an Instagram post Sunday night that they are in need of support as they “defend” the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment against Tufts admin escalation.” The group also said they would not leave until their demands for Tufts — to release and divest from investments in Israel, end the sale of Israeli products in dining halls, and acknowledge the “genocide” in Gaza — are met. 

According to the email, communication between protesters and student life staff has escalated since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October. Protesters have allegedly been putting out “false claims of threats and intimidation” from administration, the email said. 

Administrators also denied student organizers’ recent request to meet with university leadership, the school said, because of protesters’ violations of the student code of conduct. 

“We have met with multiple students, student groups, faculty members, and others throughout the academic year to discuss ways in which the university may be able to help people in Gaza and those affected by the war in our community in the ways an educational institution can, including by supporting Scholars at Risk, helping rebuild the educational infrastructure in Gaza when the time comes, fostering dialogue and training programs on our campus, creating gathering spaces for affected Tufts community members, and funding social gatherings and meals,” the statement reads. “As we have said before, we are deeply troubled by the tremendous loss of Palestinian life, and we desire to work with all members of our community to support both the Palestinian and the Israeli people.”

The email also says the class of 2024 “deserves to be celebrated” because of the multiple disruptions to their academic years like the pandemic.

“It is time to celebrate the class of 2024,” the statement says. “Our students and their families and friends deserve nothing less. We invite the entire community to join us in this endeavor peacefully and responsibly.”

Wu cancels event at Harvard following backlash from student groups over Emerson encampment decision (April 28)

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu canceled an event at Harvard scheduled for next week after more than 11 student organizations withdrew from sponsoring the event, expressing criticism over her decision to co-sign the removal of the pro-Palestinian encampment at Emerson College.

The event, put on in part by the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations (Harvard Foundation), was scheduled for April 30 and would have seen Wu discussing her “experiences as an Asian American in politics,” according to the event description. The foundation announced that it would cancel the panel due to a contentious campus climate. 

“Given escalating tensions on campus and after careful consideration and consultation with the Boston’s Mayor’s Office, The Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations will be canceling ‘A Conversation with Mayor Michelle Wu and The Asian American Foundation’ previously scheduled for Tuesday, April 30th,” the Harvard Foundation wrote in an Instagram post Saturday. 

Event organizers said in private text messages obtained by The Harvard Crimson that Wu decided not to come after several student organizations withdrew their co-sponsorship of the event. 

“As an organization we do not support any threats or violations to freedom of expression and peaceful protests and wanted to thank you guys for bringing this issue to light,” a message by an organizer said, the Crimson reported. 

The criticism of Wu comes after she told The Boston Globe that she and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the decision to remove Emerson’s pro-Palestine encampment together. Last week’s arrests of 118 Emerson students sparked severe criticism of the school and Boston police from students, who called the arrests violent, and some city councilors.

“Recent events at Emerson College, particularly the removal of the pro-Palestinian encampment and subsequent statements made by Michelle Wu in support of the Boston Police Force, have come to our attention and concern,” the Harvard-Radcliff Asian American Association (AAA) said in an Instagram post announcing their decision to stop co-hosting the event. “AAA stands against police brutality on all college campuses. We hope everyone stays safe in this critical time and that student voices are uplifted and amplified.”

A statement by Wu’s office sent to Boston.com Sunday night said the event was scheduled after “several” student organizations requested she visit and talk about her experiences multiple times throughout the school year. 

“I hardly ever leave Boston, even to go across the river, given my responsibilities as Mayor and all the demands on my time in the city — but I try to make some time each year to give back and engage with students looking to learn more about the realities of government and politics today,” Wu said. “When I was on campus as a student, I benefited so much from attending speaker events to ask questions and engage directly with visitors bringing a wide range of perspectives. I’d fully planned to engage in discussion with students about ongoing events and news, and to welcome their feedback, but I respect their preferences to use our time elsewhere and wish everyone well with the end of the school year.”

Emerson student government unanimously passes resolution calling for college president’s resignation, number of student arrests now 118 (April 28)

Emerson’s Student Government Association unanimously voted no confidence in university President Jay Bernhardt and passed a resolution calling on him to resign after a pro-Palestine encampment ended in the arrest of 118 protesters last week.

The resolution, passed at a general assembly meeting of the student government on Friday afternoon, condemned the “violent” arrests of more than 100 demonstrators and said Bernhardt had failed to acknowledge the damage the arrests had done to the Emerson community. 

“President Bernhardt has since failed to follow up with a stronger statement acknowledging the aforementioned violence, condemning the escalated and excessive force imposed by the Boston Police and Massachusetts State Police as well as the deployment of the Massachusetts Police Gang Unit,” the resolution reads.

All 17 members of the student government voted in favor of Bernhardt’s resignation. 

The vote was held in the Paramount Center’s Bright Screening Room, which filled its 180-person capacity. Livestreams were set up in two overflow sites and more than 350 people watched the livestream separately, The Boston Globe reported. 

Students chanted, “Get him out” and “Free, free Palestine” after the vote commenced, according to the Globe. 

Nandan Nair, the president-elect of the student government, told the Globe the resolution will now go to the college board of trustees. If Bernhardt doesn’t resign, Nair said he calls on the board to terminate his presidency. 

At the meeting, several students testified about the arrests, with one saying they could not walk past the Boylston Place alley where the encampment was set up without “seeing what has happened,” according to the Globe. 

“They were pressing every part of my body into the ground, and I thought I was going to die,” said Owen Buxton, an arrested student, at the meeting, the Globe reported. 

Boston police warned protesters numerous times  that they were in violation of city ordinance before the arrests, but demonstrators “refused to move and take down their tents” and resisted arrest,  according to a police report. The report said a total of 118 people were arrested and charged with disturbing the peace. 

Emerson’s board of trustees issued a statement Friday night in support of Bernhardt, who has served as the university’s president since June 1 and was formally inaugurated in March.

“At a time when freedom of speech and higher education itself are besieged by outside forces, the Emerson College Board of Trustees encourages our community to come together,” the board’s statement said. “The differences we may have today within Emerson are shades of a shared vision for civil dialogue, peaceful protest, and respect for human diversity.”

“We chose Jay Bernhardt as a transformation leader who could bring us together in difficult times. The board remains confident in President Bernhardt’s leadership and unequivocally supports his presidency.”

But Nair told NBC 10 that Bernhardt has sent out “insensitive emails,” portrayed facts inaccurately, and failed to acknowledge students who had been traumatized by mass arrests. 

“This protest action was broadly nonviolent and did not create a significant disruption to the college learning environment,” Friday’s resolution read. “President Bernhardt and other administrators threatened the students organizing and participating in this protest action, while delaying and slowing the negotiation process with organizers.”

In a statement Sunday morning, Bernhardt said the College cannot “take positions” on global conflicts but “deeply value[s] [the] community’s strong and passionate views.”

“Because we are committed to our students’ right to protest, Emerson made every possible effort to avoid confrontation between the police and the protesters at the encampment,” Bernhardt said. “Prior to the law enforcement action, the College advocated with the City and Boston Police Department for several days to delay the removal of the encampment.”

“When it became clear the City intended to clear the tents from the alley, we actively encouraged the protestors to remove them to prevent arrest. We also strongly and directly advocated for the police to peacefully remove tents without making arrests.”

Bernhardt said the college would not bring disciplinary charges against the protesters and also encourage the district attorney to not pursue legal action. 

“We will also provide housing support to students required to stay in town for court appearances following the closing of their dorms.”

“We know that the events of that night were, and are, emotionally overwhelming for our entire community, especially for the students present at the protest and the staff and faculty who were on site to provide support,” the statement read. “Emerson has continued to be supportive in multiple ways — sending staff to all the precincts and posting bail for arrested students, canceling and modifying classes so our community could process what had occurred, and providing additional care and support for our community to heal.”

Emerson student government to vote on resolution calling for college president’s resignation (April 26)

Emerson College’s student government will take up a vote of no confidence in college president Jay Bernhardt Friday afternoon, one day after police officers were called in to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment next to the school’s downtown campus.

The ensuing confrontation resulted in a number of arrests and reported injuries.

“After the brutal arrests of 108 protesters, we, the Student Government Association, will be voting on a resolution of no confidence calling for the resignation of President Jay Bernhardt,” Emerson’s SGA wrote in a statement shared on Instagram.

The vote is slated for 1 p.m. Friday.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, current SGA Executive President Charlize Silvestrino condemned Bernhardt’s “inefficiency and unwillingness to collaborate and communicate with protesters,” according to student newspaper The Berkeley Beacon. 

Nandan Nair, the incoming SGA executive president, reportedly added: “We feel there is only one course of action.”

Boston.com has reached out to Emerson College for comment on the upcoming vote. In an open letter Thursday, Bernhardt said the college has made counseling and support services available to all community members.

“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,” he said. “We also understand that clearing the encampment has significantly and adversely impacted our community.”

According to Bernhardt, Emerson staff and administrators worked to support students and de-escalate conflict at the encampment Thursday morning. As for the students who were arrested in the sweep, “the College will receive them back on campus when they are released,” he said. 

“My colleagues in Emerson College leadership and I understand that recent weeks have been extremely challenging on our campus and for many other campuses around the country,” Bernhardt added. “We hope that our community can remain united during this moment of crisis through mutual caring, support, and respect for all the people and perspectives represented in our diverse Emerson community.”

Emerson College arrests prompt mixed response from Boston city councilors (April 26)

Several Boston city councilors have spoken out in favor of dropping the criminal charges against non-violent protesters who were arrested Thursday when police broke up a pro-Palestinian encampment next to Emerson College’s campus. 

Boston police arrested 108 people, and videos posted to social media reflect the aggressive chaos that unfolded in Boylston Place Alley, where Emerson students had set up tents several days prior. 

Mayor Michelle Wu justified the Boston Police Department’s actions Thursday, telling reporters that officers made multiple efforts to communicate with protesters and sought only to address public safety and fire hazards. 

Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune emphasized the “sacred” right to protest in a statement Thursday, though she appeared to question the city’s tactics.

“I caution against heavy-handed responses to protest,” Louijeune said. “While there are legitimate public safety concerns, the presence of tents alone does not transform a peaceful protest into an unpeaceful one. … It is our collective responsibility to ensure that students who choose to exercise their right to protest are met with dignity and respect.”

She added: “Any case against peaceful protesters should be dismissed.”

Boston City Councilor Henry Santana likewise called on authorities to drop charges against any protesters who were physically non-violent. 

“I do not believe that the handling of the Emerson student protests reflects who we are as a city,” Santana said in a statement. 

“We need to review this incident in detail to understand who authorized it and exactly how it unfolded — not to point fingers, but so that we can have nuanced discussions about our law enforcement protocols, so the City can do better going forward,” he added.

Speaking to The Boston Globe Thursday, Wu did not clarify who ultimately made the decision to send police into the encampment. 

Both Santana and fellow Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pointed to the graphic videos that have circulated online of police clashing with protesters. A Boston Police Department spokesperson previously said no protesters who were in police custody mid-morning Thursday had reported injuries. But students’ accounts, police scanner recordings, and videos posted to social media suggest multiple protesters were injured in the sweep. 

“They tell us that ‘no protesters were injured’ when there is video of a protester being pushed to the ground and banging his head,” Fernandes Anderson said in a statement. “There are images of students with bruises and statements by other students attesting to the harsh treatment that was meted out to them.”

She asked that all criminal cases against peaceful protesters be dismissed, asserting that students should be saluted for speaking out, rather than punished.

“This is a sad day for the city of Boston,” Fernandes Anderson said. “But, there is joy in it as well. Because, when thousands of our young stand up against the warfare, they are giving the best that the human spirit can offer. When they do so, they walk in the footsteps of Martin Luther King and Daniel Berrigan and Fannie Lou Hamer and all of the others who have raised their voices against the greatest purveyors of violence in our world.”

Meanwhile, Councilor Ed Flynn threw his support behind law enforcement and first responders.

“Emerson College provided the protesters more than enough time to respect the rules of the City of Boston,” Flynn said in a statement. “After a period of time, and in the interest of public safety and accessibility, the protesters were removed and arrested in a professional manner by Boston Police.” 

He said Emerson leaders “showed great restraint and professionalism during this time” and made it clear to protesters that limiting pedestrian access to a public right of way goes against city rules.

Councilor Sharon Durkan, however, told the Globe it’s on university officials to have a plan in place to respond to student protests and ensure demonstrations adhere to city policies. “University administrators and staff are the best individuals to be interacting with their students, and the presence of the Boston Police at last night’s protest outlined Emerson’s failure to support students’ first amendment rights in accordance with city law,” Durkan told the Globe. “I think there’s no real partnership when universities uphold campus conditions that threaten the safety of the public and their students.”

Pressley releases statement in support of protesting students (April 25)

After more than 100 Emerson students were arrested at an encampment, Representative Ayanna Pressley said there should be no academic repercussions for peaceful student protesters. 

Encampments and protests have affected nearly every major campus in Boston, and Pressley said law enforcement should exercise restraint. 

“The National Guard or riot police should not be called in response to students’ peaceful freedom of expression. Let me be clear: we absolutely should not repeat the mistakes of generations past, and history has its eyes on us,” Pressley said in a statement released Thursday.

Misinformation about the students’ movement is circulating, and “outside agitators” can detract from the peaceful demonstrations, said Pressley, who has been an advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza since late last year.

One professor at Northeastern called police presence at the school’s encampment a “ridiculous overreaction.”

“I am grateful to students nationwide and across the Massachusetts 7th — at Emerson, Northeastern, MIT, Tufts, Boston University, Harvard, and more — who are raising their voices and putting their bodies on the line to press for action to save lives in Gaza,” Pressley said. “We cannot lose sight of the horrific injustices that Palestinians in Gaza are facing and I am proud to stand in solidarity with peaceful protestors.”

Mayor Wu responds to arrests at Emerson encampment (April 25)

Boston police officers who cleared a pro-Palestinian encampment near Emerson College and arrested 108 protesters early on Thursday sought only to ensure public safety and remove fire hazards, Mayor Michelle Wu told reporters later that morning.

The officers “worked for some period of time to communicate and be very clear about what the goal was, which was not to make arrests, which was not to have any interaction except to ensure public safety and clear public access to that area and make sure that those fire hazards were removed,” Wu said, according to an audio clip provided by her office.

There’s a public right-of-way in Boylston Place Alley, where Emerson students erected tents Sunday after more than 100 Columbia University students were arrested at a similar demonstration last week.

Wu told reporters Thursday the officers who removed the encampment overnight were wearing body cameras. From the footage she’s seen so far, Wu said Boston police “were very clear” in their communication and “were taking every effort to really ensure the safety of a peaceful protest continuing.”

She said city officials were in close communication with Emerson College earlier this week to emphasize that Boston takes no issue with peaceful protests, only the fire hazards and public health and safety concerns associated with the tents.

“There’s still a lot more to review here, and I know that world events, global events are incredibly painful and emotional for our community,” Wu said. “We cannot let that destabilize the safety and wellbeing of our residents here in Boston. And we will continue to update throughout the day as more details become available.”

Northeastern students set up pro-Palestine encampment (April 25)

Students at Northeastern University erected a pro-Palestine encampment on Centennial Common Thursday morning, joining several schools across the nation taking part in similar demonstrations after some 100 students were arrested at Columbia last week.

Students first started demonstrating at about 8 a.m., sitting on tarps on the Common and chanting slogans like “Justice is our demand; no peace on stolen land” and “Viva, viva Palestina.” Two tents were set up on the Common around 9:15 a.m.

Dozens of  Northeastern University Police Department officers stood among the protesters on the lawn. Only people with Northeastern IDs were allowed on to the Common.

The encampment is organized in part by Huskies for a Free Palestine, a student group unaffiliated with the university. On Instagram, the group said Northeastern police were threatening to remove them from campus and urged participants not to show their IDs. 

“NUPD pulling tarps out from under students, confiscating personal belongings, kicking students off campus for ‘trespassing’ on our own campus,” the group wrote in a post soon after the start of the demonstration. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Huskies for a Free Palestine (@hfp.neu)

Other chants from protestors included “Cops go home” and “Who do you protect; who do you serve.”

The university told The Huntington News that the students protesting are in violation of the Code of Student Conduct. 

“The quads on the Boston campus are reserved for university events,” the university told The Huntington News. “Students currently demonstrating on Centennial Quad are in violation of the Code of Conduct. Those who are not affiliated with Northeastern are trespassing. The university will take action accordingly.”

ACLU of Mass. releases statement on Emerson arrests (April 25)

The following is a statement from ACLU of Massachusetts Executive Director Carol Rose following the arrest of more than 100 protesters at an Emerson College encampment.

“Protest is a central part of Boston’s history, including political expression and activism at local colleges and universities. From large demonstrations against the Vietnam War to ongoing demonstrations related to the conflict in Israel and Palestine, such student advocacy plays an essential role in academic communities and our democracy.  

“Last night’s police response to demonstrations at Emerson College risked the safety and well-being of all in the area. While authorities may enforce reasonable restrictions to ensure access to public ways and to avoid disruption to school activities and services, we are concerned that campuses and law enforcement nationwide are increasingly cracking down on political expression, rushing in police to arrest protestors and authorizing aggressive treatment.  

“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. City and campus officials should take great care to distinguish between the two; if the alley is considered a public way for purposes of Boston’s anti-tent ordinance, then it is also a public way for purposes of free speech. Students and other Boston residents should be able to voice their support for Palestine or Israel without fear of becoming a target of the Boston Police Department. 

“Such forceful clampdowns on protest have serious implications for free speech rights on every issue. Let’s be clear: It’s an election year with so much at stake for freedom, justice, and our democracy itself. Especially now, colleges and universities have a responsibility to shore up their commitment to free speech, open debate, and peaceful dissent.”