“We’re here because we have a case and we support human rights,” Eman Almarzooqi, a CRLS senior who walked out of school on Monday, May 6th, to protest MIT’s treatment of its students’ occupation, told the Register Forum. “In no way or form should students feel threatened [by administration] because they have a statement they want to make.”
At least 12 high schools were part of the march, which started at Boston Commons at 2:00 PM and ended in front of the MIT encampments. Led by the Boston Students Palestine Coalition, the walkout hoped to promote several demands: a permanent ceasefire in Palestine, further education about Palestine in schools, and university divestment from “the Israeli occupation,” according to their Instagram.
Student protesters advocating for MIT to divest from IDF operations had occupied Kresge Lawn for two weeks, sustaining one of the longest-lasting campus encampments in the Boston area. MIT administrators have been critical of the occupation from the start: “This encampment has been a clear violation of our procedures for registering and reserving space for campus demonstrations,”
said MIT president Sally Kornbluth in a letter to students on Monday. “This particular form of expression needs to end soon.”
Many demonstrating students disagreed. “This has been a peaceful protest for the past two weeks,” one protester, who chose to go by S.C., told the Register Forum. Xavier Mercado, another MIT student, added, “What you can see here is just people demonstrating, exercising their right to freedom of speech and right of protest.”
According to a university email from MIT chancellor Melissa Nobles, all students who failed to leave the lawn by 2:30 PM would face academic suspension. Protests continued unabated; at 3:00 PM, high schoolers from Cambridge Rindge and Latin (CRLS), Somerville High, and Boston Latin School showed up.
CRLS Principal Damon Smith paralleled Nobles’ sentiments in a schoolwide email, writing that, “Leaving school has the potential to create an unsafe environment and is disruptive to student learning experiences.” Those who left during the school day would be marked with unexcused absences, and students encouraging others to do so could face disciplinary action.
CRLS students explained their motivation for attending, despite the warning: “Yes, there are risks,” Loulou Daghmouri ’25, an organizer of the event, explained to the Register Forum. “But somebody’s presence, no matter for how long, is so impactful. Just saying you have an opinion about it is not enough.”
Others protesting felt similarly. “We have anger and we have knowledge, so we have a duty to use that for good,” said one CRLS student, who chose to go by the initials S.T. “And I’m sure there are people saying the impact will be small. But even if someone feels safer, that’s an impact.”
The teenagers’ efforts didn’t go unnoticed by MIT students: “It’s inspiring to see how many universities and high school students have come out in support of this cause,” MIT student Alejandro Teñor told the Register Forum. “I think it shows a certain change in the way this issue is seen in the United States. I’m very hopeful that change is coming.”
This article also appears in our May 2024 edition.
