Watch: Protesters storm Trump Tower over arrest of ‘Hamas promoting' student
Mahmoud Khalil was apprehended by immigration authorities last week after spearheading anti-Israel protests as a graduate student at Columbia University in 2024.
Members of Jewish Voice for Peace, which describes itself as the 'largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organisation in the world', on Thursday protested inside Trump Tower, which is owned by the president.
Trump Tower. Love for @jvplive and these brave folks. pic.twitter.com/aGeeVgCptg
— James Schamus (@JamesSchamus) March 13, 2025
Footage shows dozens of activists wearing red shirts outside the Trump Grill on the building's ground floor, chanting: 'Free Mahmoud, free them all.'
Others shouted 'bring Mahmoud home now' and 'fight Nazis, not students,' according to clips circulated on social media.
Many displayed anti-Israel signs and shirts, including the slogans: 'stop arming Israel', 'Jews say no to arming Israel', and 'free Mahmoud, free Palestine'.
Although most appeared to have gathered in the foyer of Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan, a handful had made their way up the golden escalators to the first floor.
New York Police Department officers are on the scene and threatening to arrest demonstrators if they do not leave, footage shows.
Mr Khalil, who was born in Syria, is thought to be the first person the Trump administration is attempting to deport over 'un-American activity' in anti-Israel protests on college campuses.
The arrest prompted outrage from civil rights groups, who accuse Mr Trump of using the government's immigration powers to clamp down on free speech.
However, his deportation was blocked on Monday by a judge as the court considers a legal challenge brought by his lawyers.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, claimed Mr Khalil had distributed leaflets on campus bearing the Hamas logo.
'We have a zero-tolerance policy for siding with terrorists, period,' she told reporters on Monday.
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