WORCESTER ― Some scenes from Friday’s rally at Worcester State University were like those at other pro-Palestinian protests occurring on college campuses across the United States.
Some waved the de facto national flag of Palestine, others wore the traditional keffiyeh, and there were plenty of homemade signs that called for an immediate ceasefire and divestment from all financial ties to Israel.
There were collective chants, including “From the river to the sea. Palestine will be free.” Some in the Jewish community consider the chant inflammatory, believing it’s a call for the destruction of Israel, which is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
The word “genocide” appeared on some homemade posters that popped up in the crowd, and the word was uttered in a speech or two.
No encampments, no police
What this gathering on a green lawn outside the Shaughnessy Administration building on a sunny afternoon lacked was hunkered-down encampments and clashes with police that have marked protests from Boston to Los Angeles.