Nationwide “Hands Off!” protests were held to combat the current Trump administration on April 5, with Boston drawing crowds of nearly 100,000. Protesters used signage, rallying to protect policies ranging from education, immigration, Medicaid, LGBTQ+ rights, democracy and many more. The rally began at Boston Common, followed by a march over to City Hall Plaza for a session of speakers and live music.
Hands Off! is a pro-democracy movement assembled by organizations including Third Act, Indivisible, MoveOn and Fight Back Table, to name a few. Their goal is to fight against Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who was hand-chosen by the president to run the Department of Government Efficiency. This is tasked with accessing government data systems, organizing mass layoffs of federal workers and cutting initiatives for climate change and scientific research, along with diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Despite the weather consisting of heavy downpours, protesters came in from all over Massachusetts to fight for what they believe in. Boston protesters carried handmade signs with slogans that read “Defend democracy” and “No kings in Boston.” There was a sense of outrage in the air with people of all ages chanting, “this is what democracy looks like” and “hands off [social justice issue].”
Important political speakers, including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, spoke in front of City Hall. Wu discussed the future of her children in a moving speech: “I refuse to accept that they could grow up in a world where immigrants, like their grandma and grandpa, are automatically presumed to be criminals.” She finished her speech by pressing the importance of unity, “We need each other, and the country needs Boston right now.”
Speakers from the Massachusetts state affiliate of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Massachusetts took the stage. Jessica Tang, president of AFT, spoke about what actions to take, stressing to “join an organization, stay informed, stay involved and don’t lose hope!” Tang also spoke at a Simmons University Women in Leadership Panel back in November, shortly after Trump was elected.
Many were motivated to attend by the recent disappearance and detention of Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk.
“The kidnapping of the woman from Tufts really hit close to home,” said Abby Grace, a junior political science major at Simmons, discussing this as her reasoning for attendance, “the fact that it happened in Boston when everyone thought we were safe from this.”
The protest concluded with the band Dropkick Murphys playing an acoustic setlist filled with political songs. They proudly sang, “Worker’s Song,” which refers to how the working class in America is often oppressed by society and government. With lyrics singing, “Yeah, this one’s for the workers who toil night and day, by hand and by brain to earn your pay. Who for centuries long past for no more than your bread, have bled for your countries and counted your dead.”
