BOSTON (WHDH) - Hundreds gathered at Boston City Hall and the JFK Federal Building Wednesday, pushing for a ceasefire and an end to recent violence in the Middle East as the current war between Israel and Hamas continues.
The latest demonstration started on City Hall Plaza and came on the same day that protestors gathered in other locations in the Boston area. While protests continued, some people were eventually removed from Wednesday’s rally at the JFK Building by police after they started banging on windows.
“Think about the future you want for your child, your grandchild,” said one person on City Hall Plaza. “I don’t want a future of endless war, endless violence.”
The mission of protesters in Boston on Wednesday was to get their message to lawmakers, even calling on Sen. Elizabeth Warren to help bring peace.
“We’re here to ask Elizabeth Warren to speak out, asking for a ceasefire,” another person said. “We are American Jews. We are grieving. We are mourning with our community today and have been all week, but we don’t want to see our grief weaponized to result in more grief and more violence and bloodshed.”
Outside Boston, SKY7-HD was over Harvard Yard earlier Wednesday afternoon where students demonstrated to support Palestinians in Gaza.
As part of their protest, participants headed over the Charles River and congregated at the Harvard Business School in Allston where Former President Barack Obama was scheduled to take part in a panel discussion. Obama’s appearance was ultimately canceled due to “COVID-like” symptoms.
Demonstrators next held a “die in” to protest the loss of life after explosions killed hundreds of innocent people at a hospital in Gaza City Tuesday night.
“Over the last week, I’ve had family members killed by the airstrikes and so, I think, especially yesterday was a hard day for me,” said one student at Harvard.
Back in Boston, people have been showing their support for Israel.
Among signs of solidarity, one local businesswoman organized an effort to plant more than 1,000 Israeli and American flags at Statler Park.
Organized by Lisa Saunders of the D.L. Saunders Companies, the flag display was unveiled on Wednesday at an event attended by the Consul General of Israel to New England.
“This support is going to have to be there, not only in the short run, but in the long run,” said Consul General Meron Reuben.
Rallies on Wednesday were only a small fraction of the much larger number of rallies held recently around the world related to the current conflict.
Within the US, Biden is scheduled to address the nation about the war in Israel on Thursday night in a speech from the Oval Office. The speech is expected to begin at 8 p.m.
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