New York:
Police arrested nearly 100 people after protesters gathered at Trump Tower in Manhattan on Thursday to demonstrate against the detention of Palestinian activist and Columbia University student, Mahmoud Khalil. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Khalil over his involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, CNN reported.
The protest, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, began shortly after noon. Demonstrators, wearing red shirts with slogans such as “Not in Our Name” and “Jews Say Stop Arming Israel,” stormed into the Tower’s iconic golden lobby.
The protesters chanted “Free Mahmoud Khalil” and unfurled banners reading “Never Again for Anyone” and “Jews Say Do Not Comply,” as reported by CNN.
According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), 98 people were later arrested, with 50 led from the lobby in zip ties and placed into awaiting police vehicles. No injuries or property damage were reported.
A protest organizer live-streamed the demonstration from the balcony overlooking the atrium of Trump Tower. In the video, the woman said, “As Jews, we’re here today, mere hours before the holiday of Purim begins—a holiday where we honor Esther, who used her voice to speak out and demand that the king not commit genocide.” She added, “Today, we are using her same courage to speak out.”
As NYPD officers moved in to arrest the protesters, they sat together and chanted slogans like “Free Palestine” and “The Whole World Is Watching,” CNN reported.
The protest follows the detention of Khalil by federal agents after the Trump administration revoked his green card.
US President Donald Trump welcomed Khalil’s arrest, a Columbia University student who led pro-Palestinian protests on campus, and asserted that it was the “first arrest of many to come.”
Trump stated on Monday (local time) that his administration would apprehend and deport “terrorist sympathizers” from the US, ensuring they “never return again.”
“Following my previously signed Executive Orders, ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student at Columbia University. This is the first arrest of many to come. We know there are more students at Columbia and other universities across the country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“Many are not students; they are paid agitators. We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country—never to return again. If you support terrorism, including the slaughter of innocent men, women, and children, your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests, and you are not welcome here. We expect every one of America’s colleges and universities to comply. Thank you,” he added.
Khalil’s attorney stated that the US government “retaliated” against her client for expressing support for Palestinians and that he was detained for exercising his right to free speech.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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