Emerson students take over public alley, allegedly harass Jewish passersby
‘I was in there [taking photos] yesterday and someone told me, no Zionists are allowed in this part of the alley,’ said one Emerson College student.
Students at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts have begun an anti-Israel protest inspired by Columbia University’s demonstration against the Jewish State.
As of Tuesday, the protest is still ongoing, as the Emerson students have taken over and erected tents in Boylston Place Alley, according to WCVB.
The protestors have called on Emerson to support “Palestinian liberation,” and school president Jay Bernhardt claimed that the demonstrators belong to Students for Justice in Palestine.”
One Emerson student took photos of the protest and told WBZ News: “I was in there shooting yesterday, and someone told me, no Zionists are allowed in this part of the alley, and I was like, I live here, I pay tuition here. A lot of our friends don’t feel safe to leave our buildings.”
An update from university leaders warned that “Boylston Place Alley is not solely owned by Emerson College and has a public right-of-way under the jurisdiction of the Boston Police Department (BPD) and the Boston Fire Department (BFD).”
The university leaders continued: “Earlier today, the Commissioners of the BPD and BFD directly informed Emerson’s leadership that some actions of the protestors are in direct violation of city ordinances, which could result in imminent law enforcement action.”
They also stated that “Emerson has received credible reports that some protestors are engaging in targeted harassment and intimidation of Jewish supporters of Israel and students, staff, faculty, and neighbors seeking to pass through the alley. This type of behavior is unacceptable on our campus. To ensure the safety of our community, Emerson has placed members of the Windwalker Security staff at the Boylston Place alley to ensure safe and consistent access to the alley as required by law. “
A video posted to X shows the tent encampment and the students chanting: “Up, up, with liberation, down, down, with occupation.”
Israel is in trouble now. Masked theater kids at @EmersonCollege are locking arms and vowing to sleep in this alley until the @IDF stops killing terrorists. pic.twitter.com/iGUVjtEOXG
— Gerry Callahan (@GerryCallahan) April 24, 2024
Campus Reform has reached out to Emerson College for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
