The Boston Globe, April 2024
Tents sprung up on Centennial Common at Northeastern University early Thursday morning, making the schoolthe latest Boston-area college to host a Pro-Palestine encampment. Beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing throughout the early afternoon, more than 100 students and faculty members banded together, linking arms in a circle around the common, which sits at the center of campus.
Chants of “Hey, hey, ho, ho, the genocide has got to go,” and, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” echoed across campus, attracting the attention of passing students and observers who gathered to watch from the side. The protesters held signs reading “Divest” and “Free Gaza,” with some holding up signs that said, “Jews for a Free Palestine.”
A large group of Northeastern University police officers stood on the other side of a barrier near the protesters, making many students and faculty wary of possible police interference, including arrests. University administration warned the crowd that participants without valid Northeastern IDs would be asked to leave campus.
“The quads on the Boston campus are reserved for university events,” university spokesperson Renata Nyul said in a statement to The Huntington News, Northeastern’s student newspaper. “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.”
