Recently, in a major escalation of the local criminalization of dissent, a group of Palestine solidarity marchers were hit with felony charges of inciting a riot/promotion of anarchy. During a march at the beginning of October near the Boston Commons, a group of Boston police officers swarmed a young marcher they suspected of vandalism. This rapid escalated a rally and march that had been proceeding without conflict, and over the next few minutes 13 marchers were arrested and charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and other commonly seen charges. Many people were brutalized by the police and required subsequent medical care, and police officers were seen knocking cameras out of the hands of people recording police brutality. A day later, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office dramatically escalated the charges, adding numerous other charges including this seldomly used felony charge of Inciting a Riot/Promotion of Anarchy. In a simultaneous escalation by the trial court, high cash bails were imposed on the arrestees who had already been released and showed as they were supposed to for their court appearance. They were re-arrested inside the courthouse until the additional bails could be posted.

Community members and local organizations quickly mobilized to provide court support and jail support, and our local NLG chapter’s Mass Defense Committee is mobilizing a legal team to fight these cases.

As New York Times reported on October 10, 2025:

“Kylah Clay [from NLG-Mass Chapter’s Mass Defense Committee], a lawyer representing some of the protesters charged this week, pushed back against the government’s claims. In an email, she said the police had ‘brutalized antiwar marchers on Tuesday night, knocked cameras from the hands of young people recording their brutality, and left young protesters with injuries requiring medical care.’

‘The additional charges are part of a pattern of government overreach and the criminalization of dissent targeting Palestine advocacy across the country,’ Ms. Clay, of the National Lawyers Guild, wrote on Friday.”