Boston implements Anti-Islamophobia campaign
50 Anti-Islamophobia Posters have been scattered around the city
On Monday, July 17, the city of Boston began encouraging bystanders to intervene whenever they witness Muslim harassment.
50 Anti-Islamophobia posters were scattered throughout different bus stops and at other public places in the city explaining what to do and how to intervene when witnessing Islamophobic behavior.
The posters recommend a calm approach instead of becoming aggressive with the harasser. Instead, the poster suggests sitting next to the victim of harassment and talking to them about a neutral subject while ignoring the harasser.
The Associated Press states that the poster depicts a, "non-complementary behavior" technique that is designed to throw the harasser off because it is "non-confrontational".
This initiative is said to follow the incident that occurred in June, where a man yelled Anti-Muslim slurs at a 61-year old woman wearing a headscarf on the Orange Line.
While the posters do depict a woman in a hijab, the posters aim to "apply across all people from different backgrounds who are just in a tense situation in public or being harassed in public," says Lisa Creamer, a member station of WBUR.
These posters are used to demonstrate that "all are welcome in Boston," says Mayor Martin Walsh.
Whether or not these posters prove effective will be surveyed over the next six months.