Boston Free Speech rally
 Rally counterprotesters surrounding the Boston Common | |
| Date | August 19, 2017 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Boston Common |
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. |
| Coordinates | 42°21′18″N 71°03′56″W / 42.35500°N 71.06556°W ⧼validator-fatal-error⧽ |
| Arrests | 33 |
The Boston Free Speech rally took place at the Boston Common on August 19, 2017.[1][2][3] The organizers and participants were characterized as adherents of the alt-lite, a loosely organized right-wing political movement. Around 50 people attended the rally, and they were met by tens of thousands of counter-protesters.[4][5] The rally was organized by John Medlar and others in the Boston Free Speech Coalition.[6] It was intended to feature Kyle Chapman, Joe Biggs, Shiva Ayyadurai, and Samson Racioppi as speakers, although the rally ended before all of the speeches were made.[7][8]
Planning[edit]
The rally originally advertised speakers including Augustus Sol Invictus, Gavin McInnes, Cassandra Fairbanks, and Joe Biggs.[7] Invictus was asked by rally organizers not to appear "from a PR standpoint," and McInnes and Fairbanks withdrew as speakers.[8]
Rally and counterprotest[edit]
Police erected barricades and blocked streets near the rally, and weapons of any kind were banned.[7][9] The city planned for around 500 police officers to be present for the event.[10]
The rally ended early, and all rally attendees left the Parkman Bandstand by 1:00 pm.[11] Most of the planned speeches did not take place, although Republican Senate candidate Shiva Ayyadurai gave a speech to other rallygoers making reference to "fake news" describing the rally as a Nazi event.[12][13] Samson Racioppi, who was scheduled to speak, said "I really think it was supposed to be a good event by the organizers, but it kind of fell apart."[14]
The rally drew only a handful of attendees, while between 30,000 and 40,000 people participated in the counter-protest. The event was largely peaceful, with no injuries reported as of the afternoon of August 19. [15][16][11] 33 people were arrested, largely for disorderly conduct. There were a few arrests for assaults on police officers.[17] During a news conference in the afternoon of August 19, Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans said that rocks and bottles filled with urine had been thrown at police officers.[14]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ Sanchez, Ray. "Thousands march in Boston in protest of controversial rally". Retrieved 19 August 2017 – via CNN.
- ↑ "What we know about the 'free speech' rally on Boston Common". Boston.com. 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
- ↑ Keneally, Meghan; Katersky, Aaron (August 18, 2017). "Boston ready for 'free speech' rally but 'we don't want hate groups'". ABC News. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
- ↑ Owen, Tess (August 19, 2017). "How Boston's massive "free speech" rally fell apart". VICE News. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
- ↑ "Boston free speech rally: Thousands of counter-protesters take to streets – live updates". Retrieved 2017-08-19.
- ↑ "Who is the Boston Free Speech Coalition behind Saturday's rally? – The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Reuters. "Roadblocks, Weapons Bans as Boston Braces for 'Free Speech' Rally". Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Levenson, Michael (August 14, 2017). "Speakers at 'free speech' rally dropping out". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
- ↑ "Boston Free Speech Rally Permit Approved". Retrieved 2017-08-19.
- ↑ AP, Mark Pratt /. "Boston Braces for Free Speech Rally: 'We Will Not Tolerate Violence'". Time. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lowery, Wesley; Pazzanese, Christina (August 19, 2017). "Boston 'free speech' rally ends early amid flood of counterprotesters; 27 people arrested". Washington Post. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
- ↑ RealClearPolitics https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/08/19/gop_senate_candidate_shiva_ayyadurais_speech_at_boston_free_speech_rally.html
- ↑ Betancourt, Sarah (19 August 2017). "Trump attacks 15,000 Boston counter-protesters as 'anti-police agitators'". Retrieved 19 August 2017 – via The Guardian.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Jacobo, Julia; Shapiro, Emily; Shiff, Blair (August 19, 2017). "Dozens arrested, few injured as 40,000 protesters descend on Boston". ABC News. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
- ↑ ‘Free speech’ rally ends early as thousands of counter-protesters descend on Boston Common, The Washington Post, August 19, 2017
- ↑ Boston march against right-wing rally draws thousands, BBC, August 19, 2017.
- ↑ Boston Police Department [@bostonpolice] (August 19, 2017). "#BPDUpdate: BPD reports additional arrests from today. New total for arrests = 33" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
External links[edit]
Media related to Boston Free Speech rally at Wikimedia Commons
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