A minimum of 100 individuals were apprehended on Thursday following protesters, most of whom were progressive Jewish activists, who took over the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City. The protesters demanded the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian university student from Columbia University, who was held by US immigration officials for participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the university.
Chanting the slogans “Free Mahmoud, free them all” and “Fight Nazis, not students,” demonstrators wore red shirts that said “Jews say stop arming Israel.” The protest, held by Jewish Voice for Peace, one of the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organizations, shut down Trump Tower, a building that was once owned by former President Donald Trump.
The group deplored Khalil’s detention as an instance of mounting repression by the government. “The detention of Mahmoud is evidence that we are on the threshold of authoritarian rule,” their statement read. “As Jews of conscience, we know where this goes. Many of us are the descendants of those who fought against European fascism, and we have to stand up now.”
Actress Debra Winger was one of those arrested. In an interview with the Associated Press, she condemned the Trump administration, calling it “co-opting antisemitism” while ignoring Jewish security. “Mahmoud Khalil has been kidnapped and taken away to some unknown location does that sound like America to you?” she asked.
Khalil, a 30-year-old green card resident whose wife is an American citizen, was to graduate in May. He is now being held in Louisiana under a little-used law that permits indefinite detention if considered a threat to foreign policy.
Jewish Voice for Peace members, some of whom are descendants of Holocaust survivors, cautioned against growing authoritarianism. “We know what happens when regimes target people and strip away rights,” warned Sonya E. Meyerson-Knox, calling for action now before more freedoms are eroded.
