Thousands of people gathered in Boston yesterday evening to protest president-elect Donald Trump's recent victory. The rally was organized by Boston Socialist Alternative and included several speakers from local progressive groups. Participants marched from Boston Common to Copley Square holding signs and chanting slogans in opposition to Trump.
The protesters expressed strong opposition to the social and economic policies of Trump and vice president-elect Mike Pence. Protesters also criticized the electoral college system in general. According to theAssociated Press, Hillary Clinton received more popular votes than Trump, even though Trump won the majority of electoral votes.
"Especially because the Electoral College ... voted Trump in, there clearly needs to be an uprising against the establishment," Sonia Chien, a member of Socialist Alternative, told the Daily.
According to Officer James Kenneally, a spokesman for the Boston Police Department, more than four thousand people are estimated to have attended the protest. He said that there were no major incidents.
"By and large, the protesters were peaceful," Kenneally told the Daily. "As a result, no arrests were made."
Wednesday's protest began at the Parkman Bandstand in Boston Common. Elan Axelbank from the Socialist Alternative introduced several speakers, all of whom expressed dismay at the election's results.
The first speaker was Sabrina Barroso from the Student Immigrant Movement. She said that as a member of the Latinx community, she is nervous about the implications of the election. Next was Barbara Fisher from Fight for 15, an organization that is pushing for higher wages for fast food workers.
Toya Chester, a member of Socialist Alternative, spoke next about the organization's broader goals. She acknowledged that she is angry and disturbed by Trump's victory, but she urged attendees to push for more progressive candidates such as Bernie Sanders.
"Throughout this whole election, we were told that the only way to defeat Trumpism was to vote the lesser of two evils," Chester said. "But clearly that didn't work."
After the first three speakers, the protesters began marching through the streets. They walked to the State House, took Tremont Street and Boylston Street to Copley Square and returned to Boston Common by way of Newbury Street. Boston Police closed the streets for the duration of the march, and maintained a heavy presence throughout.
Following the march, protesters returned to Boston Common where they heard speakers from Black Lives Matter and BU Students Against Islamophobia.
Among the protesters were numerous Tufts students. Miriam Israel said that she was encouraged by the number of people in attendance at the protest.
"We all felt pretty comforted to see how many people turned out," Israel, a junior, said. "Clearly there's a lot of people willing to put in work to make change."
Thousands gather in Boston to protest Donald Trump's presidential election
