Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Occupy Trump Tower in New York

On Thursday, hundreds of Jewish protesters took over New York's Trump Tower in a demonstration supporting Palestinians and Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student activist. The protesters, wearing red T-shirts with the slogan "Jews say stop arming Israel," occupied the building for over an hour. Trump Tower, where the Trump family business is based and where Donald Trump has a residence, also holds significance as the location where Trump announced his first presidential run in 2015.

Police reported the arrest of 98 individuals, associated with the group Jewish Voice for Peace, for trespassing and other charges. The protesters chanted "fight Nazis, not students," referencing the Trump administration's crackdown on foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

At the same time, at Columbia University, where Khalil was previously a student, the university announced disciplinary actions against students who participated in a protest last year against Israel’s actions in Gaza. These actions included suspensions, temporary degree revocations, and expulsions. This development followed the Trump administration's decision to cut $400 million in federal funding to the university, accusing it of failing to adequately address anti-Semitism.

Khalil, one of the protest leaders, was recently detained by immigration authorities. The Trump administration has moved to revoke his green card, accusing him of engaging in activities aligned with Hamas, a militant group responsible for the October 7, 2023, attack that initiated the war.

Critics of the Trump administration, including free speech advocates, have condemned Khalil's detention, warning that it threatens freedom of expression. Filmmaker and Columbia professor James Schamus remarked that New York Jews were demanding Khalil's release and opposing the weaponization of their identity to curtail democratic rights.

Though the protest at Trump Tower involved disruptions, it ended peacefully, and protesters were cleared within two hours. Jane Hirschmann of Jewish Voice for Peace, drawing from her family’s history of suffering under the Nazis, warned that such actions by the Trump administration were reminiscent of fascist tactics aimed at suppressing freedom.