Great Barrington — More than 50 people took part in a pro-Palestine protest in front of Town Hall on Saturday, November 4.
Before the protest, at least one poster advertising the event was placed on the campus of Bard College at Simon’s Rock. According to the poster, the protest was co-organized by the Anti-Imperialist Solidarity, the Coalition of Simon’s Rock Student Groups, and The Berkshire Communists.
Bard College at Simon’s Rock Provost and Vice President John Weinstein would not answer an email asking for comments for this story. However, Fiona Scruggs, director of communications and marketing for Bard College at Simon’s Rock, wrote via email that the event was not officially sanctioned by the college, but confirmed that college students were among the participants at the protest.
On the poster, the Bard College at Simon’s Rock email addresses for Yael Ezry and Jesse Wein-Gold are listed. When asked if Ezry and Wein-Gold are students at the college, Scruggs wrote, “That is not information that we can share.” However, searching through the college’s website, Wein-Gold is listed as the author of a published article that states that, as of June, he was working as an intern for the college’s communications and marketing department.
When reached by email, Ezry wrote that she would not provide comment for this story, while Wein-Gold did not respond to an email asking for comment.
The Berkshire Communists group, one of the co-organizers of the November 4 protest, is led by Alford resident James “Fergie” Chambers. A previous profile of the group and Chambers was published in The Berkshire Edge in early October, after the group organized a similar pro-Palestine protest.
During his interview with The Berkshire Edge, Chambers said that he endorsed violence against Israel, including the attack by Hamas on Israel that took place on October 7, which killed about 1,400, including babies and children, the elderly, and foreign workers. “Hamas is an indigenous anti-colonial resistance group,” Chambers told The Berkshire Edge. “Yes, the Al-Aqsa Flood was a powerful statement of resistance to genocide. We do not have any compelling evidence that civilians were deliberately targeted. In fact, every piece of evidence we have is to the opposite, which we cannot say for the bombardment of Gaza that has occurred.”
Since the conflict started on October 7, various media reports state that more than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed, with more than 1,400 Israelis killed, 1.5 million Gaza residents displaced, and 241 hostages taken by Hamas.
On October 27, a majority of representatives from countries at the United Nations General Assembly voted for a ceasefire based on humanitarian issues. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected multiple calls for a ceasefire in the conflict.
