The #FreePalestine movement at the Boston Public Library (Photo by Maggie Wen/BU News Service))
By Maggie Wen Boston University News Service
On April 23, 2022, people gathered in front of the Boston Public Library to protest for Palestine, raising awareness for the issue that the country is currently facing.
Boston University News Service staff photographer Maggie Wen was in Copley Square to capture the movement.
The #FreePalestine movement has been trending around the East Coast since the summer of 2021. Universities usually have an organization called Students for Justice in Palestine, or SJP. The protest last weekend in Copley Square was the first protest this year in Boston. (Photo by Maggie Wen/BU News Service)Protesters brought a big “Free Palestine” banner to catch attention and spread the message. More information on the issue regarding #FreePalestine can be found on https://decolonizepalestine.com or https://101.visualizingpalestine.org. (Photo by Maggie Wen/BU News Service)“When we are fed most of our lives with certain information, we tend to believe things in a certain way. The protest made me educate myself on this issue, and I am making a difference everyday by talking to my friends and families about my research on the issue”, said an anonymous source whose identity is kept private upon the source’s request. (Photo by Maggie Wen/BU News Service)
Aly Tahoun, a high school student from Boston, held the Palestine flag in front of the Boston Public Library last Saturday. (Photo by Maggie Wen/BU News Service)
The #FreePalestine movement started because of the social media trending of #SaveSheikhJarrah. Sheikh Jarrah is a neighborhood located in Palestine. People from Palestine are being forced out of their homes. (Photo by Maggie Wen/BU News Service)
Tahoun said that the protest’s intention is for people to become aware and for them to start educating themselves on the issue regarding Palestine and its conflict with Israel. Some Instagram accounts related to this movement in Massachusetts include:@masspeaceaction, @sjptufts, @umbsjp, and @wellesley_sjp. (Photo by Maggie Wen/BU News Service)Before moving from New Jersey to Boston, Tahoun organized a protest himself in 2021 in New Jersey. He anticipated that he would organize more protests this year in Boston. (Photo by Fajr Elkhateeb)
