MIT increases security as group rallies against pro-Palestinian encampment
CAMBRIDGE - There was a fiery rally on the steps at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to support Jewish students and counter the pro-Palestinian encampment across the street that's urging the administration to cut ties with Israel.
"There are areas of campus I no longer feel safe going to. The graduate student union has become a place for anti-Israeli, antisemitic propaganda," said student Akiva Gordon.
Rise in tensions at MIT
It's a rise in tensions on the Cambridge campus where protest has been largely peaceful. As a precaution Friday, MIT and Cambridge police were out in force, shutting down a portion of Massachusetts Avenue, as the rally participants demanded more action from the administration.
"You think about precedent, there's complete lawlessness, wild west with each student doing whatever they want," said sophomore Zeb Moore and member of the MIT Israel Alliance.
An additional fence was erected around the tent city and Israeli flags were immediately posted on the outside.
A pro-Palestinian demonstrator Mohammed attempted to bring members of the media into the encampment but was shut down by police. He denied participants have engaged in harassment. "Our encampment has been peaceful these weeks," he said. "We've been in negotiations and it's another tactic to intimidate us."
They did not engage with the pro-Israeli rally but remained across the street with protest signs of their own. "We respect their right to free speech as much as we want our right to free speech respected," said a protester who would only give the name Jeremy.
It's left the campus at an impasse with no sign yet that police will move in here, despite a call from the MIT president last week to close the encampment. "What we see here is far from being freedom of expression, this is violating rules," said Professor Retsef Levi.