A physical altercation between a protester and Boston College Police Department Deputy Chief Kevin Buckley occurred Tuesday evening after nearly 20 masked demonstrators rallied outside University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J.’s office. 

During the demonstration, a protester moved to deliver a bundle of letters to the building’s front door. Buckley and BCPD Chief of Police William Evans immediately pursued the individual to prevent their entry. 

As Buckley passed through the crowd, another protester positioned themself in his path, blocking the deputy chief’s way. Buckley initially pardoned himself and tried to maneuver around the person, but when the individual continued to obstruct him, Buckley shoved the person aside.

University Spokesman Jack Dunn confirmed that an undisclosed letter was delivered to a Boston College administrator at the house, but did not confirm whether an altercation occurred.

“There were no reported confrontations,” Dunn wrote to The Heights.

The demonstration began at Boyden Park, a public parcel of land across from St. Ignatius Church, where several organizers gave opening remarks to a larger initial crowd of 35 protesters, many of whom appeared to have no affiliation with BC, according to Dunn. 

“I want to start with some guiding principles for everyone to just keep in mind: We do not talk to cops, we do not talk to admin—they’re not our friends,” one of the organizers said through a megaphone. “We’re here to agitate. We’re here to mourn. We’re here to demand justice for all people.”

After a short period of additional introductory remarks, the demonstrators began marching up Commonwealth Ave. As some split from the crowd and left, the remainder continued walking up into Newton—a city with a large Jewish community—plastering stickers, playing tambourines, and chanting contentious pro-Palestinian slogans.

“Intifada, intifada, globalize the intifada,” the protesters chanted. “Intifada, intifada, long live the intifada.”

Tuesday’s demonstration marked a significant shift rhetorically and behaviorally from previous protests organized by Eagles Against Genocide, an unaffiliated BC group. 

The group previously held protests on BC’s property, which required registration with the University’s administration. 

Administrators restricted elements of its February protest, including removing and revising portions of its speech that the University considered “inflammatory.” The group held Tuesday’s event exclusively on public property.

It’s unclear if the group attempted to register the protest on campus before settling on the public route. According to Dunn, BC did not grant permission for the event, and neither the cities of Boston nor Newton were notified.

As the crowd approached the University’s main gate, chants shifted toward BC itself, accusing the institution and its administration of supporting Palestinian genocide.

“Boston College, you can’t hide, you’re financing genocide,” the protesters repeated.

At the intersection of College Road and Comm. Avenue, protesters approached Botolph House, an administrative building that contains offices of the university president and executive vice president, and directed their chants toward Leahy.

“Father Leahy, your hands are red, 600,000 people dead!” they shouted.

Upon reaching Botolph House, the protest’s leaders handed out chalk that many participants used to scrawl messages on the public sidewalk and road surrounding the property. Phrases written included: “Free Palestine” and “Free Gaza.” 

Protesters wrote several phrases targeting the University, BCPD, and Leahy himself, including: “BCPD = KKK,” and “Leahy is a Coward.”

Two Newton Police Department (NPD) officers, followed shortly after by Buckley and Evans, arrived at the scene during the chalking. 

The officers requested demonstrators to step onto the sidewalk off the street for their own safety. 

The request was met with minor pushback, as one protester stood still, refusing to respond or leave the street. After repeated requests by NPD for the individual to step onto the sidewalk, and no action taken by the protester, the officers stepped aside and let the protester remain in their place. 

The protesters largely remained on the public sidewalk beyond a hedge that forms the boundary of the building’s property. 

Evans and Buckley observed the demonstration from beyond the property line, standing off to the side of the crowd of protesters.

After a speaker recited a testimonial from a “Sudanese comrade,” another wave of chants followed. 

The altercation between Buckley and the protester then ensued. 

Once the incident concluded, the chants subsided, and another organizer began to speak into the megaphone, directing their ire at Evans, who now positioned himself a few feet behind them to secure the entryway to the property.

“Our own police chief, Evans—who I think is here—I don’t know what you f—king look like,” the organizer said. “F—k you, by the way. He has been trained in Israel.”

“F—k you,” the crowd shouted in response.

Three years after the Boston Marathon bombing, Evans, then-commissioner of the Boston Police Department, visited Israel in 2016 as a part of a counterterrorism training program sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League. 

Remaining outside of Botolph House for nearly half an hour after the altercation, protesters continued chanting, reading the testimonials of victims of oppressive regimes, and shouting expletives at the BCPD officers standing behind them.

Once the speeches concluded, the protest’s leaders guided the crowd away from Botolph House and back down Comm. Ave. Organizers directed protesters to get on the T and change attire before returning to their dorms so as not to be identified.

“If you want to come with us, we will hop on the T,” an organizer said. “Do not go back to your dorm looking the way you do right now.”

As they moved down Comm. Ave. to the T, the group continued to chant, eliciting shouts and boos from passersby and residents.

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” they chanted. “From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever.”

Correction (12/14/2025, 2:54 p.m.): This article was corrected to reflect that Botolph House is Leahy’s office rather than his residence.