All 13 Boston protesters hit with new charge: 'Promotion of anarchy'

Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald on Oct 9, 2025

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BOSTON — Prosecutors are accusing the group behind the violent pro-Palestine rally at Boston Common of intending to cause “destruction and disruption,” as the activists advertised the event with an image of a burning police cruiser and a quote from a Hamas spokesman.

Because of that, the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office has upgraded charges against the 13 protesters they arrested during the melee to include violation of a state law that prohibits “promotion of anarchy,” according to court documents.

Office spokesman Jim Borghesani has confirmed the upgraded charge, which comes after the Boston Police Department reviewed social media posts advertising the event from march organizers.

In a supplemental complaint filed in Boston Municipal Court Central on Thursday, city police highlighted how they discovered an Instagram post that advertised a gathering near the Embrace memorial at the Common on Tuesday evening.

Protesters looked to commemorate the second anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attacks.

City police stated they found the flyer to include an image of a burning police car and a quote from Abu Obeida, a Hamas military wing spokesman who was killed in August by the Israel Defense Force.

The quote reads: “Peace be upon your souls that will one day soar in the skies of your liberated Al Quid’s and Al Aqsa, purified from the defilement of your killers,” according to police.

That proved to be enough evidence for police to develop probable cause that the group “intended to conduct their rally and march in such a way that it induced fear, caused destruction and disruption, caused injury and promoted anarchy.”

Four Boston Police officers suffered injuries while trying to break up the agitated, combative group that grew to around 200-300 pro-Palestinian supporters on Tremont Street around 6:45 p.m. One officer needs surgery to reconstruct and repair a broken nose.

All 13 activists arrested initially were charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and disturbing the peace. Seven protesters arraigned Thursday, though, faced stiffer charges that included assault and battery on a police officer and helping a prisoner escape from police custody.

If convicted on the anarchy charge, protesters could be sentenced to prison for up to three years while being banned from working as an administrator or teacher in schools.

“Further investigation revealed violent imagery and rhetoric used in promotional media for the October 7 incident,” Borghesani said in a statement shared with the Herald. “This organizing material promoted violence against police and presented an immediate threat to public safety which, combined with the actions of the individuals arrested, provided clear justification for the enhanced charges.”

Boston Municipal Court Judge Paul M. Treseler ordered all seven protesters arraigned on Thursday to be held on cash bail that ranged from $5,000 to $10,000. That maximum figure matched the bail set on Wednesday for Roder Atwood, 21, of Somerville, who is accused of assaulting the officer who suffered the broken nose.

Treseler held Osama El Khatib, 26, of Watertown and Styx Hatch, 19, of Boston on $10,000 bail, and the remaining others on $7,500 and $5,000.

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