Pro-Palestinian protesters hold rally at Tufts 1 year after Oct. 7 attacks

About sixty pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on the Tufts academic quad Monday to demand the university end its investments or partnerships with Israel. The demonstration began in the  rain shortly after noon with the familiar sound of chants like "free free Palestine" and "from the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free."

The Tufts chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine organized the rally to mark the year since the Hamas attacks on Israel. Group leaders instructed participants not to speak with members of the press. Instead, Tufts SJP sent WBUR a written statement.

"This university is directly implicated in the destruction of innocent lives via investments and partnerships with Israel," the statement read. "It's refusal to condemn the genocide and disclose and divest from Israeli apartheid along with its punishment of Palestinian and Jewish student protestors proves it is willing to put zionist donors above basic morality."

There was no sign of a counter protest, though half a dozen Jewish students watched the event nearby.

"On this horrific day one year after the massacre of Oct. 7, people are cheering on those who massacred," said Peri Karpishpan, a sophomore who draped an Israeli flag down her back. "So there's something wrong here."

Fellow sophomore Theo Marvin said he plans to transfer to Brandeis University because of the disruptions of the past year's protests.

"I feel like [Brandeis] has done a lot more to protect their Jewish students and I do not feel very protected here at Tufts," Marvin said. "I haven't trusted the university in quite some time that they will take the right precautions."

About half an hour into the rally on the quad, protesters walked down Packard Avenue to the Science and Engineering Complex building, where they continued chanting inside the building's first floor cafe.

Officials with Tufts said entering the academic building is a violation of campus policy.

"As is our practice, we will hold accountable anyone found to have violated university policy and the student code of conduct during today’s event," said university spokesman Patrick Collins.

Monday's demonstration is one of several events planned this week to mark one year since the Hamas attacks in Israel and ensuing conflict in Gaza.

On Sunday, thousands of demonstrators calling for a cease fire in the conflict briefly blocked traffic on Storrow Drive near the Hatch Shell before gathering at the Israeli consulate. The Boston Coalition for Palestine organized the rally.

Massachusetts State Police briefly diverted traffic from the area. There were no arrests.