More than 100 protesters arrested as police clear Emerson camp

More than 100 people were arrested early Thursday after Boston police forcibly cleared a pro-Palestinian tent encampment that Emerson College students had built in an alley next to the city’s downtown campus. school.

Videos posted to social media showed the chaotic scene that unfolded overnight at Boylston Place Alley, where officers — some apparently dressed in riot gear — could be seen pushing their way through the crowd. In some clips, protesters appeared to link arms to form a barrier against the surge of law enforcement.

Boston police arrested a total of 108 people, said department spokesman Sgt. Det. John Boyle confirmed this in a written statement. The protesters will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court, he said.

Emerson students set up tents in the alley Sunday evening after more than 100 Columbia University students were arrested in New York for participating in a similar protest last week.

In a letter to the Emerson community Wednesday, school officials warned that law enforcement action could be “imminent” and explained that Boylston Place Alley does not belong solely to the college. Boston police and firefighters warned Emerson that some of the protesters’ actions were a direct violation of city ordinances, they said.

“Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our community, and we are deeply concerned that protesters risk legal consequences beyond Emerson’s control if they do not follow the city’s laws and of the state,” university leaders said.

Shortly after midnight on Thursday, tensions reached a boiling point.

Police issued a dispersal warning to protest organizers around 1:38 a.m., according to a student newspaper. The Berkeley Beacon. Around 1:45 a.m., the arrests began.

According to Boyle, four officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the scuffle, three with minor injuries and one with “more serious” injuries.

“No demonstrators (sic) in custody have reported any injuries at this time,” he said.

However, police scanned recordings posted on Broadcastify indicate that at least two protesters went to the hospital, according to The Boston Globe.

“Can you confirm which hospitals two of the protesters went to? » said a commander on the recording, according to the World.

Shortly before 9 a.m. Thursday, ten student organizers gathered outside the Boston Police Department’s District A-1 headquarters on Sudbury Street, where police reportedly brought more than two dozen students.

Meanwhile, about 40 students stood outside the Edward W. Brooke Courthouse at Boston Municipal Court before the protesters’ arraignments. Antonio Massa Viana, a lawyer representing several protesters, spoke to student supporters outside the courthouse.

“We all know this is not about hatred towards another people. We all know it’s about protesting an unjust war that killed thousands of people, including women and children, okay? he said. “And we all know that in America we are taught very, very young that we have to speak out against everything that is wrong. So first I’m going to congratulate you for doing this.

Viana said protesters were being brought to the courthouse in batches from various police stations. The charges against them include trespassing and disturbing the peace, he said.