Report: Pro-Palestine Protesters Allegedly Endorse Communist Terror Group Propaganda and Leadership
A new report reveals that leaders of a Marxist-Leninist terrorist group provided guidance to Columbia and Barnard students on resistance in March.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist organization, is reportedly heavily involved in the ongoing campus protests, as detailed by the Israeli watchdog group NGO Monitor in a recent report.
The report, published on May 8 by the research institute based in Jerusalem, highlighted the presence of the PFLP and its affiliate, Samidoun, in protests at more than 80 U.S. campuses. The Popular Front has been designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. Department of State since 1997.
During an event at Barnard College in New York on March 24, Khaled Barakat, a member of the PFLP and a co-founder of Samidoun, conducted a session titled “Resistance 101.”
Barnard College is officially affiliated with Columbia University, which recently canceled its main commencement ceremony due to weeks of pro-Palestine protests.
At the event, Barakat expressed admiration for Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front. Nerdeen Kiswani, the founder of the protest group Within Our Lifetime-United for Palestine, also spoke at the event about Palestinians’ rights across the region.
NGO Monitor observed protesters displaying Popular Front propaganda, donning Popular Front accessories, waving its flag, and sharing Popular Front literature in public.
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Gerald Steinberg, founder and president of NGO Monitor, remarked that the “extensive involvement” of a terrorist group in these protests disputes the notion of a spontaneous movement.
He called for a comprehensive Congressional investigation into the connections between Samidoun, SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine), and other NGO organizers to reveal funding sources domestically and internationally.
The National Counterterrorism Center has identified the Popular Front as a terrorist organization rooted in Marxist-Leninist beliefs, known for violent actions dating back to 1967.
The Popular Front’s ultimate goal is the eradication of Israel to establish a Communist Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The group is led by Ahmad Sa’adat, imprisoned by the Palestinian Authority in 2001. In April 2024, the Popular Front expressed support for student movements in American universities within an posted statement on its website.
NGO Monitor asserts that Samidoun is a subsidiary of the Popular Front and was designated as a terrorist organization by Israel in 2021.
Samidoun, calling itself the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, celebrated the killing of Jews by Hamas in 2023 and continues to feature imagery glorifying the incident on its website.
According to a May 6 statement, the crackdown on Kates was condemned as an affront to the Palestinian cause by the Popular Front.
On May 3, @IsraelWarRoom Twitter account disclosed access to documents from the Popular Front via a Google Drive allegedly owned by National Students for Justice in Palestine spokeswoman Carrie Zaremba.
Protesters on George Washington University’s campus were spotted reading parts of the Popular Front’s book on “Strategy for the Liberation of Palestine” on May 3.
Law enforcement in Washington removed a pro-Palestinian encampment from George Washington University ahead of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s testimony, suggesting a crackdown on similar activities.
Jeffrey Lax, a professor at City University of New York, emphasized the anticipated escalation of street protests and public disruptions as protests evolve beyond campus settings.
He pointed out the coordination between Marxist faculty and Islamist elements in orchestrating protests to undermine American values.
Lax predicted a summer of disruptive activities aided by this alliance between leftist ideologies and radical Islamists.
John Haughey contributed to this report.
