Pro-Palestine Jewish Protesters Gather at Trump Tower Following Arrest of Columbia University’s Mahmoud Khalil – One America News Network
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
1:28 PM – Thursday, March 13, 2025
A large crowd gathered at Trump Tower on Thursday to protest the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian green card-holder believed to be the leader of the anti-Israel and pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University.
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They were quickly detained as soon as law enforcement arrived.
Footage showed officers using zip ties to handcuff the disruptive demonstrators and escort them to police vans. Over 100 members of the Jewish pro-Palestine organization “Jewish Voice for Peace” were visible on video donned in red shirts bearing the slogan “Jews Say Stop Arming Israel,” as they congregated outside the Trump Grill restaurant.
At approximately 12:30 p.m., the NYPD arrived and began arresting and removing the protesters, who were filmed being led away in zip ties.
While the NYPD did not disclose an exact number of arrests, spokespersons confirmed that several individuals had been taken into custody. By 1 p.m., the vicinity around Trump Tower seemed to have been largely cleared.
The demonstrators held signs stating “Fight Nazis not students,” “No Muslim Ban Ever,” and “Jews for Palestinian Freedom” before the protest was disbanded.
“We are saying if you come for one of us, you face us all,” a passionate protester shouted during the group’s live X broadcast.
“As Jews, we refuse to be the scapegoats of fascism,” she continued. “We won’t back down, and we urge all individuals of conscience to join us and resist Trump’s administration’s assaults.”
The anti-Israel activist further stated, “Colleges and universities must cease their preemptive compliance. Columbia and all universities need to take active steps to safeguard their students. We demand all institutions uphold freedom of speech, collective protest, and defend their students.”
This recent protest follows a surge of supporters and rioters demanding Khalil’s release in Lower Manhattan earlier that week.
Federal immigration officials apprehended Khalil on Saturday in New York City, positioning him as the focal point of a crackdown on antisemitism among foreign nationals at college campuses.
Khalil’s green card may be at risk due to his leadership of a radical organization called Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which calls for the “end of Western civilization,” a message echoed by terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah. The group allegedly has connections to both organizations, as reported by The Post.
“We are Westerners fighting for the complete eradication of Western civilization,” CUAD declared in a now-deleted Instagram post.
A judge temporarily halted Khalil’s deportation on Monday.
Khalil, who is 29 years old, has Palestinian parents and was born in Syria. In 2022, he came to the U.S. on a student visa to pursue his graduate studies at Columbia. The following year, in 2023, he married a U.S. citizen and secured his green card last year, according to AP News.
Social media users expressed their views on the recent events on X, including Georgia GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG).
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