The protesters were affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace, which describes itself as a progressive Jewish anti-Zionist group.
Police arrested 98 protesters on March 13 after they occupied the lobby of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, staging a loud demonstration in support of Palestine and against the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student activist who led protests at Columbia University condemning Israel’s military response to the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) repeatedly ordered demonstrators to leave before officers moved in, arresting 98 individuals on charges including trespassing, obstruction, and resisting arrest, according to a police briefing.
The protesters were affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace, which describes itself as a progressive Jewish anti-Zionist group. “As Jews, we are taking over Trump Tower to register our mass refusal,” the organization said in a statement. “We will not stand by as this fascist regime criminalizes Palestinians and those calling for an end to the Israeli government’s U.S.-funded genocide.”
Wearing red shirts that read “Stop Arming Israel” and “Not In Our Name,” demonstrators carried banners with slogans such as “Free Mahmoud, Free Palestine” and “Fight Nazis, Not Students.”
Footage posted on social media by Jewish Voice for Peace showed protesters chanting and clapping as officers systematically removed them from the building.
Videos from outside Trump Tower showed the detained protesters being loaded onto waiting buses while other demonstrators remained on the sidewalk, chanting, “Free Mahmoud!”
Kaz Daughtry, New York’s deputy mayor for public safety and a former NYPD official, stated that no injuries were reported but added that the city will review its procedures to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.
Khalil, a 30-year-old permanent U.S. resident who is married to a U.S. citizen, was arrested outside his New York City apartment on Saturday and faces deportation. He is being held at an immigration detention center in Louisiana. A judge has determined that the Trump administration cannot yet deport Khalil.
By Tom Ozimek
