Seasons greetings in Boston's Seaport, outside of the Snowport holiday market for small businesses, were met by pro-Palestinian protesters Friday night.
The “Shut it Down for Palestine” coalition caught the attention of holiday shoppers lining up and entering the market. They said while they weren’t there to block shoppers, they wanted to raise awareness about the situation in Gaza and the devastation brought on by ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
“We do want to communicate that we can’t just go on with business as usual and pretend this isn’t happening. In Palestine right now, there’s no Christmas shopping happening. Many people don’t have access to food, water, electricity. People are dying,” an organizer explained.
As Christmas lights and Palestinian flags filled the Seaport, some took issue with the rally following the death of more than 1,200 Israelis during the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7.
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“I understand that the Palestinians are suffering too but it started out with basically innocent people at a music festival being slaughtered," one shopper said.
War continues to rage in the Middle East, as tensions are running high at home.
“I think all of us are asking how it’s possible to feel joy in a moment when there’s people being bombed and they’re destroying libraries and hospitals and schools and I don’t know how to enjoy the Holidays when that’s happening," one woman told NBC10 Boston.
Snowport market organizers declined to comment on the protest.
Israel has said it will continue its intense, close quarter combat in Gaza, despite the humanitarian crisis resulting from the war.
