Report from Aug 26th Sacco and Vanzetti Rally

On Saturday Aug. 26th, members of Occupy Boston and Veterans for Peace took part in a Commemoration Rally for Sacco and Vanzetti. The event was organized by the Sacco and Vanzetti Commemoration Society and the Boston IWW.

The event started with speakouts and music on the Tremont Street side of Boston Common, followed by a spirited, boisterous march to the north end. It’s amazing how much noise fifty people can make shouting “a-anti-anti-captialista” in the narrow streets of downtown Boston. The march ended with a second rally, at the intersection of Hanover Street and the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Part of the rallies were devoted to commemorating Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. These two Italian anarchists were accused of murder, and, after a long and controversial series of trials, given the death sentence and executed. Over 8000 people marched in their 1927 funeral procession. This was the largest procession ever held in Boston, and would remain so until 2003, when New Englanders paraded through the streets of Boston, celebrating the Patriot’s Superbowl victory.

The Sacco and Vanzetti Commemoration Society is working to get a memorial erected in Boston’s North End, near the area when Sacco and Vanzetti lived.

On a broader level, the rallies tried to draw attention to political prisoners in the United States. There are many examples in recent years, including Leonard Peltier, detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Tarek Mehana, and Bradley Manning.

On September 6th, Democrats will gather in Charlotte, NC for the Democratic National convention. On the same day, Veterans for Peace will gather outside president Obama’s Boston headquarters, to support alleged whistleblower Bradley Manning. The Bradley Manning support rally will take place from 3:00–5:00 pm at 77 Summer street (near Downtown Crossing). For more information, see https://www.facebook.com/events/439879979398064.

Here’s some video footage of the Sacco and Vanzetti Rally.