Anti-war protesters handcuffed in Boston building where Senator Warren’s office located

BOSTON — Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the John F. Kennedy building in Boston Wednesday evening. They called on all Massachusetts’s elected officials for ceasefire in the Middle East.

“This is beyond anything any of us have seen before it’s savage,” said Thea Paneth a demonstrator.

The protesters are demanding that Senator Warren & other Mass. leaders put more pressure on the federal government to stop the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza. Warren’s local office is inside the JFK Federal Building.

“She refused to even let us up her staff sent a representative to speak with us,” said Daniel Zackin.

Boston 25 News has learned that seven people, including Zackin were handcuffed by Homeland Security Officers inside the lobby of the JFK Federal Building for refusing to leave after closing time.

They were each released and told they’d be receiving a summons in the mail for failure to obey.

“I think it sends a message of solidarity,” said Zackin. “I am incredibly disappointed as her constituent that she refused to take this step for peace.”

They said that a Senator Warren staff representative eventually came down to speak with them, but they were not allowed up to her local office in the building.

Sen. Warren released a statement, in response to the protest, late Wednesday night.

“I appreciate the people who came to my office to share their perspectives and experiences - that’s what democracy is about. Israel has both a right to defend itself from terrorist attacks and an obligation to protect innocent civilians under the international laws of war. Palestinian civilians have a right to humanitarian aid including food, water, shelter, and medicine. There is an urgent need for safe corridors in Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, and I will continue to emphasize the imperative to protect civilians.”

President Joe Biden swept into wartime Israel for a 7 1/2-hour visit Wednesday that produced a heaping dose of vocal support, a deal to get limited humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt, likely by the end of the week, and a plea for Israelis not to allow rage over the deadly Hamas attack to consume them.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that limited humanitarian aid would be allowed into Gaza from Egypt following a request from President Biden.

The war, that began Oct. 7, has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Wednesday that 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,000 injured in the past 11 days.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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