Protesters arriving at The Old Powderhouse around 5:30 p.m.  on Wednesday~ Photos by Giacomo Ferraro

By Liam Beretsky-Jewell

Wednesday night, over 2,000 people gathered at the Powerhouse Square Park to attend a rally condemning the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainment of Rumeysa Ozturk. The Tufts Ph.D student was detained outside her West Somerville apartment on Tuesday, March 25, by ICE agents who had been surveilling her home from an unmarked vehicle the two previous days. Court records state that she was subsequently taken to a detention center in Louisiana, despite orders from U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani that ICE not remove Ozturk from Massachusetts.

Ozturk, a Turkish national in the United States on a student visa, has been supportive of pro-Palestinian activism at Tufts, and criticized the university’s response to the movement in an op-ed published in the school’s student newspaper, The Tufts Daily.

Ozturk is now among a number of international students who have been arrested in connection with their expression of pro-Palestinian sentiments, such as Mahmoud Khali, a Columbia University graduate student. Many view these arrests as targeted attacks on immigrant activists, particularly those who have been outspoken about their views on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The unusual, unexpected, and aggressive nature of Ozturk’s arrest has generated widespread fear and frustration among Tufts students, neighbors, and fellow activists, prompting the rally in solidarity with her. The rally was organized by groups such as the Muslim Justice League, Palestinian Youth Movement, and Tufts Graduate Student Union, whose speakers addressed the crowd. Word of the event primarily circulated on social media platforms like Reddit and Instagram.

Attending the March 26 rally was a mix of Tufts students and neighbors from the surrounding area. The crowd also drew many from neighboring cities who traveled to the rally after hearing about it online. A number of activists from groups such as The Democratic Socialists of America, 5051, Refuse Fascism, and other organizations of similar orientation also attended, handing out signs and making announcements with megaphones.

Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne also joined after issuing a statement on social media expressing concern over the detainment, writing “I am deeply concerned to see a student with legal status detained by federal agents for what appears to be the exercise of free speech.”

Similar sentiments, interpreting the situation as an attack on Ozturk’s freedom of speech, were expressed by many at the rally.

Protesters held signs with messages like “literally the First Amendment,” “When they come for one of us, they come for all of us,” and “Our dignity is at stake,” commenting on the chilling effect that Ozturk’s detainment generated.

Many other protesters expressed concern over the implications that this situation may hold for other members of Somerville’s large immigrant population. Amid the recent increase in deportation activity throughout Somerville and surrounding communities, many signs criticized ICE directly, with messages like “deport ICE,” “ICE are fascist cowards,” “hands off,” and “no Boogeyman in Somerville.”

Speakers urged people in the crowd to “keep the door closed” if ICE shows up at their door and report suspected ICE activity, listing a number of organizations that provide immigrant protection services, such as the Luce hotline. An overarching feeling of shock rippled through the crowd, with neighbors and students explaining that the incident has shaken the local community to its core. “Now they’re straight up kidnapping people off the streets of Somerville,” read one sign, accompanied by the chanting of phrases like “Immigrants are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back.”

The rally’s primary focus was to condemn the detainment of Ozturk, and show solidarity for the student. Signs with the phrases “I stand with Rumeysa,” “Save Rumeysa,” and “This is not okay” were common sights. However, many also held Palestinian flags or signs expressing pro-Palestinian sentiments, including a number of the speakers. At one point, a speaker encouraged the crowd to begin chanting “From the river to the sea,” a provocative slogan that has triggered conflict at other recent demonstrations.

However, the crowd remained orderly throughout the evening. Talking to protesters, one got the sense that some had primarily shown up to voice their concerns for Ozturk, while others were impassioned by issues of free speech, immigration, neighborhood safety, the situation in Palestine, or a combination of these factors; it was a spectrum.

The rally began to disperse around 6:45 p.m., after the final speakers made closing statements. Similar rallies were held on March 27 in Harvard Square and in front of Somerville City Hall prior to a City Council meeting.