Supporters of Mahmoud Khalil hold a rally outside of court in Newark, New Jersey.
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NewsTranscript
00:00that give us the right of freedom of speech,
00:02that give us the right to be citizens of this great country,
00:06a country made of immigrants that live and reside
00:10on stolen land, that give us the right to stand up for justice
00:14and stand up against inequality.
00:16Trump, the Constitution that gives us
00:19the right to say that you are a bigot, you are a fascist,
00:23you are a racist.
00:25Trump, you are a pharaoh who supports terrorism,
00:30the killing of innocent men, women, and children.
00:33Your ceasefire was a facade.
00:35Your ceasefire was a charade.
00:37Your ceasefire was a lie.
00:40These lies that they want to feed the world,
00:44they don't want the world to be awakened
00:46by voices like Mahmoud Khalil and all
00:48of the others at universities and protests
00:50and more, because these voices make the truth visible.
00:55These voices help reality become clear,
00:59that their support, Trump's support for Zionists,
01:02Trump's support for Zionist maniacs and terrorists,
01:06is the call of today.
01:08So today, in ending, Mr. President,
01:12we want to say that we are clear about who we are.
01:15We are the believers who stand up for God's people.
01:19We are the believers who stand up for justice,
01:21regardless of your ethnicity, regardless of your color,
01:25your race, and where you come from.
01:27We are the believers who believe in the constitutional freedoms
01:30that we have been granted, that you, Mr. Trump,
01:33are trying to take away from us.
01:35We believe that you can beat us, that you can imprison us,
01:40that you can torture us, that you can lie about us,
01:43but the one thing you can't do, Mr. President,
01:46is that you can't silence us.
01:54For every Mahmoud Khalil that you oppress, Mr. President,
01:58for every child and innocent woman
02:00that you kill, Mr. President,
02:02for every support of Zionist terrorism
02:04that you support, Mr. President,
02:06you will only further raise the voices
02:09and hearts of millions of believers
02:11who will say, we can't be silenced.
02:14We will not go away.
02:16As long as there is air to breathe,
02:19land to live on, and voices to scream
02:21and yell from mountaintops, we will continue to exist,
02:25and we will continue to survive.
02:27I end with the cries of our brothers
02:29and sisters in Palestine.
02:31Hasbi Allah wa ni'ma al-wakeel.
02:34Hasbi Allah wa ni'ma al-wakeel.
02:37Hasbi Allah wa ni'ma al-wakeel.
02:40Allah is sufficient for us,
02:42and he is the best disposer of affairs.
02:48Thank you, Imam.
02:50We want justice, you say how?
02:52We want justice, you say how?
02:55Bring Mahmoud home now.
02:57Bring Mahmoud home now.
03:00We want justice, you say how?
03:02We want justice, you say how?
03:04Hands off our students now.
03:07Hands off our students now.
03:09We want to bring up our next speaker,
03:12Amy, from the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice.
03:16Yeah!
03:23Good morning.
03:24Good morning.
03:25My name is Amy.
03:26I'm with New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice.
03:29We are the state's largest immigration coalition.
03:33We are the state's largest immigration coalition
03:36in a state that has a higher proportion
03:38of immigrants than New York,
03:40than Arizona, than Texas, and then Florida.
03:44And together, 60 organizations
03:46from every corner of the state fight for policies
03:49that empower and protect immigrants.
03:53What does it look like to protect immigrants?
03:55It means showing up and showing out on days like this
03:59to demand that our rights are respected,
04:01to demand that our civil liberties are upheld.
04:04And what does it mean to empower immigrants?
04:08It means organizing to make sure that the systems
04:12that lock us behind bars, that deny us due process,
04:15that violate our rights and deny our civil liberties
04:18are confronted and destroyed.
04:23Most of all, that means ICE.
04:26It is no surprise that ICE arrested Mahmoud Khalil.
04:32This is an agency born in the nationalist fervor
04:36of post 9-11 xenophobia.
04:39From its inception, ICE has only targeted people
04:44that are part of the political fringe.
04:47They have only targeted people
04:50that they view to be voiceless.
04:53And they exercise their ability to indefinitely detain
04:57and deport people as a means of being a tool
05:02of a fascist regime.
05:04Shame, shame, shame.
05:06We know that Mahmoud was not the first.
05:09Here in New Jersey at Elizabeth Detention Center,
05:12the very same place where he first was detained,
05:15Hector Garcia Mendoza was a whistleblower
05:19who filed a class action lawsuit against ICE.
05:23What did ICE do?
05:25Against a court order, they transferred him.
05:29Against a court order, they deported him to Mexico.
05:32This was in 2020.
05:34No one has heard from Hector since.
05:37Shame, shame, shame.
05:40Why does ICE do this?
05:42Because they know detention is bad,
05:45but they also know deportation is deadly.
05:50That's why they went after Mahmoud.
05:53That's why they've gone after Jeanette Vizguerra
05:57in Colorado, a 30-year immigration activist.
06:01That's why they went after a farm worker labor leader
06:05to make sure that they are silencing those
06:08that they believe to be the least politically powerful.
06:13Yes, this is about Palestine,
06:15and also this is not about Palestine.
06:18This is about this administration taking the issue
06:22that they believe is the least sympathetic
06:25and making an example out of the people that they arrest
06:29so that they can dehumanize the issue,
06:32they can dehumanize the actors,
06:34they can dehumanize the people standing up
06:36as a means of going after every single one of us.
06:43It's Palestine today, but it's every single issue
06:46that we care about tomorrow.
06:49If we cannot stand up for this,
06:52we will not be able to stand up for anything else
06:55because there will be fewer and fewer and fewer of us left.
07:00In my family's native language, there's a saying,
07:04huak matakot, it means do not be afraid.
07:09This was a chant used during the Marcos regime
07:12to overthrow people in power,
07:14the same regime that was disappearing people
07:16through political arrest,
07:18the same regime that was killing people.
07:21It is not that different from where we are today.
07:24They're using fear as the jail cell that exists in our minds.
07:29If they do not detain us physically,
07:32they are trying to detain us spiritually
07:34as a means of silencing us,
07:35and we are here to say not on our watch.
07:41When I say immigrant, you say power.
07:43Immigrant. Power.
07:45Immigrant. Power.
07:46When I say immigrant, you say power.
07:48Immigrant. Power.
07:49Immigrant. Power.
07:51Free Mahmoud, free all political prisoners
07:53detained by ICE.
07:56Free, free Palestine.
07:59Free, free Palestine.
08:01Free, free, free Palestine.
08:03Free, free, free Palestine.
08:05Our next speaker is Mohamed from American Muslims for Palestine.
08:09Please help us welcome him.
08:13Release Mahmoud right now.
08:15Release Mahmoud right now.
08:18Release Mahmoud right now.
08:20Release Mahmoud right now.
08:22I begin in the name of Allah, the Beneficent,
08:25the Merciful, the Avenger of the oppressed,
08:28and the Guardian of all those in distress.
08:31We stand here on the final Friday
08:36of the blessed month of Ramadan,
08:41a holy time for Muslims around the world,
08:44for Muslims in Palestine
08:47who commemorated this month in famine,
08:50for Muslims and Palestine supporters here in the US
08:55who commemorated this month as the Trump administration
08:59began to escalate its war on our voices.
09:05It's been less than three weeks since Mahmoud was kidnapped.
09:10In that time, we've seen over half a dozen more
09:15Palestinian voices or supporters kidnapped as well.
09:21Shame.
09:24In that time, we've seen Israel break the ceasefire
09:30and commit what is now known as the Ramadan massacre,
09:34with over 700 people killed in less than 24 hours,
09:38200 of them children.
09:41Shame.
09:44And the Trump administration will deport you for saying that.
09:49We are in this moment.
09:53We are facing this repression for one reason
09:57and one reason alone.
09:58It is because our movement is growing.
10:01It is because our movement is popular.
10:03It is because Americans are rejecting Israel's genocide.
10:08Our movement is taking on this fight for our country.
10:18They're those who claim to be in opposition to Trump,
10:23to be in opposition to the fascism
10:25that is coming out of this government,
10:27who claim to be against Doge,
10:29who claim to be in support of immigrant rights.
10:34But in this moment, they won't talk about Mahmoud Khalil.
10:40There are those in the political opposition
10:43who will say,
10:45we don't support what he said, but he shouldn't be arrested.
10:48No, Mahmoud didn't say anything wrong.
10:54And for those who refuse to stand for Palestine,
10:59we will remember,
11:01because our movement is fighting for justice,
11:04for justice for Palestine and for justice in this country.
11:09This case is about the kind of America that we want.
11:15Will we live in a democratic nation
11:17that upholds its values, its constitution and laws,
11:21or will we allow it to be reshaped
11:23into an authoritarian state
11:26that suppresses dissent and silences justice?
11:30No.
11:32Our movement, like the people of Gaza, will not be defeated.
11:37Like the people of Gaza, we will not back down.
11:40We will not back down for Mahmoud.
11:42We will not back down for Liqa.
11:44We will not back down for any of our students,
11:47and we will not back down for Palestine.
11:49Thank you very much.
12:01We want justice, you say how?
12:04We want justice, you say how?
12:07Free Mahmoud right now.
12:09Free Mahmoud right now.
12:11Free Mahmoud right now.
12:13Free Mahmoud right now.
12:16We want to introduce our next speaker,
12:20Murad Awade from the New York Immigration Coalition,
12:25the president and CEO.
12:27As APA chair, this is not just a fight for Palestine.
12:32This is a fight for every person
12:35who is oppressed and marginalized.
12:38They are going to target each and every one of us,
12:41and it is important that we come out and fight,
12:44and fight like hell right now.
12:46So I would love to introduce Murad
12:48from the New York Immigration Coalition.
12:55As-salamu alaykum.
12:58My name is Murad Awade.
13:00I'm the president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition,
13:03and we are living in some interesting times,
13:06brothers and sisters.
13:08We are living at the beginning
13:10of what is becoming an authoritarian regime.
13:15And why am I talking about authoritarianism in this moment
13:19is because it's important to notice
13:21what the signs are of what happens.
13:26And the first step is centralizing authority
13:29and executive dominance.
13:31The second step is the control of information
13:34and state propaganda.
13:36The third is the security apparatus
13:39and state surveillance.
13:41The fourth is them legitimizing their strategies.
13:46The fifth is co-opting elites and institutions.
13:52The sixth is the divide and rule.
13:56And as we're standing here,
13:58fighting for the freedom of Mahmoud Khalil,
14:01who has disappeared away from his family,
14:05away from his eight-month, almost nine-month now,
14:09pregnant wife who's about to give birth to their child,
14:14a moment where you should be celebrating
14:16bringing new life into this world.
14:19And inshallah, she does,
14:22and has an easy and quick recovery.
14:25And inshallah, we have Mahmoud by her side.
14:31Today is really important for a number of different reasons.
14:35Mahmoud was the first student,
14:37the first pro-Palestine, supporting, protesting student
14:42who has disappeared.
14:44He's not the only anymore.
14:48They've disappeared Vedad,
14:50they've disappeared Ramziya,
14:53Leka, and so many others.
14:57This is the fight we must fight in this moment
15:01to continue to demand their release.
15:05Because if they come for one of them,
15:08they're going to have to face us all.
15:11Because they're coming for all of us.
15:13And they started this administration
15:17by saying that they're going after, you know,
15:20these violent criminals to deport them.
15:23That doesn't seem to be the case.
15:26They're not going after people who...
15:31Well, they shouldn't be going after anyone to begin with,
15:34because people have the right to due process.
15:36But the reality is that they're going after
15:39every single person that does not align with their agenda.
15:43And we have to stand up and fight back.
15:46And the only way we can do that is if we're united.
15:49So today, we hope the court hears our voices.
15:54We hope that they order Mahmoud's return to New York and release.
15:59Because that is why we are all here.
16:01And I want to thank you all on a Friday morning,
16:05making it out to Newark.
16:07I know some of you are from New Jersey.
16:09We thank you for being here.
16:12And for that New York-New Jersey unity,
16:14I want to give a shout-out to the New Jersey Immigrant Alliance.
16:17It's always showing up and showing out.
16:21And with that, I just want to leave you on a last message,
16:24which is we will see more of these types of actions.
16:29And regardless of what the excuse this administration gives,
16:35I urge you to continue to fight for justice.
16:38I urge you to continue to fight for one another.
16:42Because we are all bound to each other.
16:45And it is important and critical that we continue to show up.
16:49Thank you all for being here.
16:53Let's keep the energy up.
16:55Let's make our solidarity heard from inside the courthouse.
16:58Let's do it.
17:00We want justice, you say how?
17:04We want justice, you say how?
17:07Release Mahmoud right now.
17:09Release Mahmoud right now.
17:12We want justice, you say how?
17:14We want justice, you say how?
17:17Release Mahmoud right now.
17:19Release Mahmoud right now.
17:22We want justice, you say how?
17:24We want justice, you say how?
17:27Hands off our students now.
17:31We want justice, you say how?
17:36Hands off our students now.
17:41We want justice, you say how?
17:46Ice out of our communities now.
17:51We want justice, you say how?
18:26down with deportation, down,
18:36down with deportation, up, up
18:38with liberation, up, up with
18:40liberation, down, down with
18:42occupation, down, down with
18:44occupation, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
18:46will rise, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
18:48will rise, when people are by
18:50your side, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
18:52will rise, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
18:54will rise, the students are by
18:56your side, the students are by
18:58your side, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
19:00will rise, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
19:02will rise, the workers are by
19:04your side, the workers are by
19:06your side, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
19:08will rise, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
19:10will rise, the students are by
19:12your side, the students are by
19:14your side, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
19:16will rise, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
19:18will rise, the students are by
19:20your side, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
19:22will rise, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
19:24will rise, the people are by
19:26your side, the people are by
19:28your side, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
19:30will rise, Lhasa, Lhasa, you
19:32will rise, the workers are by
19:34your side, the workers are by
19:36your side, when immigrant
19:38rights are under attack, what
19:40do we do? Stand up, fight back!
19:42What do we do? Stand up, fight
19:44back! When student rights are
19:46under attack, what do we do?
19:48Stand up, fight back! What do we
19:50do? Stand up, fight back! When
19:52Palestine is under attack,
19:54what do we do? Stand up, fight
19:56back! What do we do? Stand up,
19:58fight back! What do we do?
20:00Stand up, fight back! Money for
20:02jobs and education!
20:04Money for jobs and education!
20:06Not for war and deportation!
20:08Not for war and deportation!
20:10Money for jobs
20:12and education!
20:14Money for jobs and education!
20:16Not for war and occupation!
20:18Not for war and occupation!
20:20Money for jobs
20:22and education!
20:24Money for jobs and education!
20:26Not for war and deportation!
20:28Not for war and deportation!
20:30Money for jobs
20:32and education!
20:34Money for jobs and education!
20:36Not for war and occupation!
20:38Not for war and occupation!
20:40Up, up with
20:42liberation!
20:44Up, up with liberation!
20:46Down, down with deportation!
20:48Down, down with deportation!
20:50Up, up with liberation!
20:52Up, up with liberation!
20:54Down, down with
20:56deportation!
20:58Down, down with deportation!
21:00Up, up with liberation!
21:02Up, up with liberation!
21:04Down, down with
21:06occupation!
21:08Down, down with occupation!
21:10Up, up with liberation!
21:12Up, up with liberation!
21:14Down, down with occupation!
21:16Down, down with occupation!
21:18Say it loud and
21:20say it clear!
21:22Say it loud and say it clear!
21:24ICE is not welcome here!
21:26ICE is not welcome here!
21:28Say it loud and say it clear!
21:30Say it loud and say it clear!
21:32ICE is not
21:34welcome here!
21:36ICE is not welcome here!
21:38Say it loud and say it clear!
21:40Say it loud and say it clear!
21:42ICE is not welcome here!
21:44ICE is not welcome here!
21:46Say it loud and
21:48say it clear!
21:50Say it loud and say it clear!
21:52ICE is not welcome here!
21:54ICE is not welcome here!
21:56We want justice, you
21:58say how!
22:00We want justice, you say how!
22:02Free my food right now!
22:04Free my food right now!
22:06We want justice, you say how!
22:08We want justice, you say how!
22:10Free my food
22:12right now!
22:14Free my food right now!
22:16We want justice, you say how!
22:18We want justice, you say how!
22:20Hands up our
22:22students now!
22:24Hands up our students now!
22:26We want justice, you say how!
22:28We want justice, you say how!
22:30Hands up our students
22:32now!
22:34Hands up our students now!
22:36Free, free Palestine!
22:38Free, free Palestine!
22:40Free, free, free Palestine!
22:42Free, free, free Palestine!
22:44Let's make some noise!
22:46Let's make some noise!
22:48Let's make some noise!
22:50Please give a warm
22:52welcome to our next speaker,
22:54Alison, from the Party for Socialism
22:56and Liberation!
22:58Free,
23:00free Palestine!
23:02Free, free Palestine!
23:04Free, free, free Palestine!
23:06Free, free, free Palestine!
23:08Free, free Palestine!
23:10Free, free Palestine!
23:12Free, free, free Palestine!
23:14Free, free, free Palestine!
23:16Today,
23:18we say enough is
23:20enough of the cruel and inhumane
23:22deportations tearing our communities
23:24apart!
23:26ISIS
23:28carrying out a massive invasion of our
23:30neighborhoods, hunting down our family
23:32members, our friends, our neighbors,
23:34and now our students! Shame!
23:36Shame!
23:38Let's be clear that targeting the
23:40persecution and the abduction
23:42of students who dare to take a
23:44stance against Palestine is a
23:46clear violation of human rights
23:48regardless of their immigration status!
23:50It's been
23:5220 days since Mahmoud Khalil
23:54was abducted from his home by
23:56ICE agents. It's been three days
23:58since Rumayyah Ozturk was also abducted
24:00by plain-clothes agents.
24:02Shame!
24:04What happened to them and many others
24:06is a blatant attack on free speech,
24:08an attack made to send a
24:10clear message that fighting back
24:12will be punished.
24:14Trump has purposely persecuted
24:16leaders and participants of the
24:18massive movement against the genocide in
24:20Palestine. This is a mere tactic
24:22to instill fear on those who dare
24:24to oppose his policies and fight back.
24:26The repression of the
24:28pro-Palestine movement is only the beginning
24:30of his right-wing billionaire agenda
24:32to suppress our civil liberties.
24:34We can't let these attacks on our
24:36community go quietly. We need to take
24:38a stance now and let Trump know that
24:40we will stand up and fight to protect our
24:42rights.
24:44We are only
24:46witnessing this level of repression
24:48because they know that our movement
24:50is growing and will only continue
24:52to grow.
24:54They have not been
24:56able to suppress our knowledge and our
24:58commitment to Palestine, so they are now
25:00attempting to suppress our right to free speech.
25:02While the
25:04Trump administration here continues to
25:06attack social services at home, we
25:08have only seen an escalation to the genocide
25:10in Palestine. Trump has now
25:12directly endorsed an agenda of
25:14open ethnic cleansing, and still
25:16the incredible and unbreakable
25:18resilience of the Palestinian people has
25:20awakened millions of people worldwide
25:22to a movement for liberation over the
25:24last 18 months.
25:28Now is not the time to be
25:30afraid. Now, more than ever,
25:32is the time to remain steadfast in our
25:34solidarity and our commitment to the struggle
25:36for a free Palestine.
25:38That is why
25:40on April 5th, we are taking the
25:42people's power to Washington, D.C.
25:46It's imperative that we
25:48show our strength and descend in overwhelming
25:50numbers. We're going to have buses leaving
25:52from here, New Jersey, and New York.
25:54You can go purchase your ticket at marchforpalestine.org
25:56slash bus. And it's
25:58important that every single one of you
26:00shows up.
26:02It's important that every single one of you shows up
26:04because we need to let Trump know
26:06that we have to stand up and fight back
26:08until all of our demands are met.
26:10Immediate and
26:12permanent ceasefire. Arms embargo
26:14now. Stop the repression at home.
26:16Stop the genocide and free Mahmoud.
26:20Up, up with liberation.
26:22Up, up with liberation.
26:24Down, down with deportation.
26:26Down, down with deportation.
26:28Up, up with liberation.
26:30Up, up with liberation.
26:32Down, down
26:34with deportation.
26:36Down, down with deportation.
26:38Up, up with liberation.
26:40Up, up with liberation.
26:42Down, down with deportation.
26:44Down, down with deportation.
26:46Up, up with liberation.
26:48Up, up with liberation.
26:50Up, up with liberation.
26:52Down, down with deportation.
26:54Down, down with deportation.
26:56Please help us welcome our next speaker,
26:58Nolan from Notatol
27:00for Korean Community Development.
27:06My name is Nolan
27:08and I'm with Notatol for Korean
27:10Community Development.
27:12And I'm here to talk about
27:14Yoon So Chung.
27:16Like Mahmoud Khalil, Yoon So Chung
27:18is a Columbia student and permanent
27:20resident faced with deportation.
27:24Yoon So moved here
27:26from Korea at seven years of age,
27:28was valedictorian of her high school,
27:30and until three days ago
27:32was being actively hunted
27:34by ICE.
27:36Yoon So stood
27:38up against Columbia University's
27:40support for genocide, just as
27:42our elders and ancestors stood against
27:44the colonization of Korea.
27:46She placed the cause for
27:48Palestinian liberation before her
27:50own security.
27:52And it's our job now to show her
27:54and Mahmoud that they're cared
27:56for and they're supported
27:58by all of us.
28:02People claim that Yoon So and Mahmoud
28:04invited repression into their lives,
28:06but compliance will never
28:08protect us. Collective
28:10power is what protects us.
28:12And now is not the time for
28:14despair. We need to show
28:16our government and the rest of the world how
28:18proud we are of these organizers
28:20like Yoon So and Mahmoud,
28:22and how their views are representative
28:24of a powerful and united movement.
28:28How all these cases are
28:30inseparable. This is not about
28:32immigration status. This is about
28:34our government punishing those it disagrees with.
28:36Those who
28:38expose the predatory nature of
28:40imperialism.
28:42This administration wants to make examples
28:44out of organizers because our efforts
28:46have been working.
28:48We've exposed countless institutions,
28:50companies, government officials
28:52for supporting Israeli
28:54apartheid and a bloody genocide,
28:56and they've been forced to suffer the
28:58consequences.
29:00This administration
29:02thinks they're weakening our movement.
29:04They think we'll cave into despair.
29:06But we have something that they
29:08never comprehend.
29:10We have our humanity.
29:12We have our unrelenting
29:14hunger for liberation,
29:16and we have each other.
29:18They're fighting for money
29:20and luxury. We're fighting for
29:22our lives and for our martyrs.
29:26And look around. These are the organizers
29:28you can depend on.
29:30These are the people that will pack the court if
29:32ICE comes and kidnaps you in your home.
29:34These are the people that will
29:36continue to fight after Palestine
29:38is free.
30:06Free, free, free Palestine.
30:08Right now,
30:10Mahmoud's court hearing is
30:12being heard. Let's chant even louder.
30:14We want justice.
30:16You say how.
30:18We want justice.
30:20You say how.
30:22Free Mahmoud right now.
30:24Free Mahmoud right now.
30:26We want justice.
30:28You say how.
30:30We want justice. You say how.
30:32Free Mahmoud right now.
30:34Free Mahmoud right now.
30:36We want justice.
30:38You say how.
30:40Free Mahmoud right now.
30:42Free Mahmoud right now.
30:44We want to next introduce
30:46an organization that has
30:48been here in Newark
30:50building community ties,
30:52organizing and mobilizing.
30:54We want to introduce Larry Ham
30:56from the People's Organization
30:58for Progress.
31:00Assalamu alaikum.
31:02Ramadan Mubarak.
31:06Why are we here today?
31:08We're here today because we
31:10demand freedom
31:12for Mahmoud Khalil.
31:18Mahmoud Khalil
31:20has been branded a criminal.
31:22He's been branded
31:24a criminal.
31:26And they kidnapped
31:28him and spirited
31:30him away to a
31:32prison in Louisiana.
31:36They labeled
31:38Mahmoud a criminal.
31:40But the real criminals
31:42are the ones that
31:44arrested Mahmoud and put
31:46him in jail. Those are the real
31:48criminals.
31:50We demand
31:52freedom and we demand
31:54justice for Mahmoud.
31:56We're standing here today
31:58in front of a statue
32:00of justice.
32:02It's supposed to be
32:04a symbolic representation
32:06of justice.
32:08And this statue
32:10has a blindfold,
32:12which is supposed to symbolize
32:14that justice is blind.
32:16But if justice
32:18were truly blind,
32:20Khalil Mahmoud would not be in prison.
32:26We're standing here today
32:28at a federal
32:30courthouse in Newark, New Jersey.
32:32But do you know
32:34the name of this
32:36federal courthouse?
32:38It's right there in front of you on the lawn.
32:40Believe it or not,
32:42this is the
32:44Martin Luther King
32:46federal courthouse.
32:48Imagine that.
32:50Putting Martin Luther King's name
32:52on an institution
32:54that in fact practices
32:56injustice.
33:00I believe that if Martin
33:02Luther King were alive today
33:04and if he happened to be
33:06in New Jersey, he would be standing
33:08here with us demanding justice
33:10for Mahmoud.
33:14We demand
33:16justice for Mahmoud.
33:18But we also demand
33:20an end
33:22to the genocidal
33:24war in Gaza.
33:28And we also demand
33:30an end
33:32to military aid to
33:34Israel.
33:40Brothers and sisters,
33:42I'm 71 years old.
33:46I was a student at Princeton
33:48University in the
33:501970s, in 1974
33:52when we were
33:54campaigning against
33:56the racist apartheid
33:58regime in South Africa.
34:02We took over at Princeton
34:04University. We took
34:06over Nassau Hall,
34:08a federally
34:10recognized landmark.
34:12We took it over
34:14for three days
34:16and three nights.
34:18We took it over
34:20and no one was arrested.
34:22The police didn't even
34:24show up.
34:26No one was arrested.
34:28For 50 years,
34:30students at Princeton
34:32had protested
34:34for all different
34:36causes for justice.
34:38No one was ever arrested.
34:40But after
34:42the initiation
34:44of this genocidal war
34:46in Gaza,
34:48they intensified the
34:50oppression not only of the
34:52people of Palestine, but
34:54they intensified the oppression
34:56and repression of people
34:58at home.
35:00We demand
35:02justice for all
35:04the students who have been
35:06protesting against the
35:08genocidal war in Gaza.
35:12In two weeks,
35:14a student at Princeton
35:16will go on trial.
35:18She was arrested. She was a
35:20graduate student. She will go
35:22on trial. And so will
35:24students across this
35:26country. But I tell
35:28you, it is not these students
35:30who should be on trial.
35:32It is the college, university
35:34presidents that will
35:36not stand up for
35:38freedom of speech.
35:40Don't
35:42preach to me about
35:44how these universities are
35:46some type of citadels
35:48for democracy. That somehow
35:50they are the guardians of the
35:52Bill of Rights. They are locking
35:54up students. They've locked
35:56up students all over this country.
35:58But I tell you this,
36:00it is the
36:02students who are
36:04on the right side
36:06of history.
36:10Just as
36:12students protested against the war
36:14in Vietnam, just as
36:16students protested against apartheid
36:18in South Africa,
36:20the students today who are
36:22demanding human rights, who
36:24are demanding liberation,
36:26who are demanding an end to
36:28genocide in Gaza, they are
36:30on the right side of history.
36:32And brothers
36:34and sisters, I stand
36:36with you in complete
36:38solidarity. There's no
36:40sunlight between us
36:42in solidarity to demand
36:44justice for Mahbub
36:46Khalil, but I would
36:48be deleterious
36:50in my
36:52responsibility
36:54as an activist
36:56if I did not stand
36:58here and also demand
37:00freedom for Mumia Abu
37:02Jamal.
37:04I would
37:06be remiss in my
37:08duty if I did not
37:10demand freedom for
37:12Imam Jamil Al-Amin
37:14a trap bound.
37:16I would be remiss
37:18in my duty if I did
37:20not demand freedom
37:22for all the political
37:24prisoners in the United
37:26States of America.
37:28Khalil's
37:30struggle is our struggle
37:32and our struggle is
37:34the struggle. When
37:36black people like myself
37:38stand up for
37:40Palestinians, we
37:42are standing up in the
37:44spirit of our freedom
37:46fighters. Malcolm X
37:48supported the liberation
37:50of the Palestinian people
37:52and went to Palestine.
37:54Muhammad Ali
37:56supported the liberation
37:58of the Palestinian people
38:00and went to Palestine.
38:02The North Black
38:04Panther Party
38:06celebrated and supported
38:08the liberation struggle
38:10of the people of Palestine.
38:12I was 15 years
38:14old when I was a student
38:16at Arts High School
38:18and a member of the North Black
38:20Panther Party gave me a
38:22Black Panther newspaper
38:24and in 1968
38:26that was the first time
38:28I learned about the struggle
38:30of the people of Palestine.
38:32We have a long
38:34history.
38:36We have a long history
38:38and I'm so glad to be here
38:40with you. Look at our
38:42choice here today.
38:44We are black and white
38:46and brown and yellow
38:48and red. We are Christian.
38:50We are Muslim. We are
38:52freedom. We are anxious.
38:54We are people of all stripes.
38:56This is a
38:58movement that we must build
39:00in America so that we
39:02can not only free Palestine
39:04but free the oppressed
39:06people in the United States
39:08of America.
39:16So we'll be here
39:18as long as it takes.
39:20We say, yes, go to
39:22Washington on April the 5th
39:24but next week, April the 4th
39:26is the anniversary of the
39:28assassination of Dr.
39:30Martin Luther King.
39:32Dr. King didn't die
39:34a natural death.
39:36Dr. King was a target
39:38of state terror. Yes.
39:40There's something called
39:42state terror and black
39:44people, we know about fascism.
39:46People are saying we're in the back.
39:48Black people have been under fascism
39:50since we've been in this country.
39:52What is slavery but fascism?
39:54I saw that young woman
39:56get snatched off the street
39:58in Somerville.
40:00In Massachusetts the other day.
40:02You know what that was
40:04reminiscent of? It was reminiscent
40:06of slave catching.
40:08See, we know about being snatched
40:10off the street. We know about
40:12being disappeared. We know
40:14about being treated
40:16brutally and inhumanely.
40:18That's why we can relate to
40:20this struggle to demand
40:22freedom for Muhammad Khalil.
40:24This is a great struggle, brothers and sisters.
40:26Let us continue to build
40:28this movement. Build this
40:30movement for Muhammad
40:32Khalil. Build this movement
40:34to free Palestine.
40:36But let's build a movement
40:38for the radical transformation
40:40of the United
40:42States of America.
40:44Free Muhammad!
40:46Free Muhammad Khalil!
40:48Free Muhammad Khalil!
40:50Free Muhammad Khalil!
40:52Free Muhammad Khalil!
40:54Free Muhammad Khalil!
40:56No justice!
40:58No peace!
41:00No justice!
41:02No peace!
41:04If there ain't gonna be no justice,
41:06there ain't gonna be no peace!
41:12Let's give it up for Larry
41:14from the People's Organization
41:16for Progress.
41:20Next,
41:22we want to introduce
41:24Rabbi Deutsch from the
41:26Organization Nitori Karta.
41:28For a long time
41:30we've been told
41:32that our movement
41:34is an anti-Semitic movement, but we are
41:36not an anti-Semitic movement.
41:38We are an anti-Zionist movement!
41:42And for so long,
41:44the media and the ruling class,
41:46they will try to paint us
41:48as an anti-Semitic movement, but we have
41:50shown that we are
41:52on the side of justice,
41:54we are on the side of liberation
41:56for Palestine, and we are so happy
41:58to be joined by Rabbi Deutsch from the
42:00Nitori Karta.
42:04Salam alaikum.
42:06Why are the Zionists
42:08so afraid of Muhammad
42:10Khalil? Why?
42:12Because there are millions
42:14of Khalils around the world
42:16standing up against
42:18the Zionist propaganda lies
42:20in the streets.
42:24Because our voices are so strong,
42:26because millions of people
42:28are speaking up
42:30with true facts,
42:32this is why they are scared.
42:38The Zionist intimidation campaigns
42:40are escalating worldwide,
42:42attempting to silence
42:44the voice of the brave individuals
42:46standing against this genocide.
42:48This includes the recent
42:50attacks on the courageous
42:52student movement standing with Gaza
42:54and Palestine and Muhammad Khalil.
42:58Just yesterday,
43:00I attended an emergency
43:02after fundraising for Gaza.
43:04I had an opportunity
43:06to hear from three doctors
43:08who recently returned from Gaza.
43:10When I returned home,
43:12I told my family members
43:14that what I have here
43:16in just one half hour
43:18is enough for me to come out
43:20every day on the streets
43:22to protest this genocide.
43:28We do not need to explain
43:30why we are here on the streets.
43:32The people who are not here,
43:34they should explain why we are silent.
43:36Our grandparents
43:38have been killed in the Holocaust.
43:40When they would have
43:42such courageous faces
43:44as Khalil,
43:46they would be safe,
43:48they would be happy to have
43:50the student movement on their side
43:52while they have been murdered
43:54by the Nazis in Auschwitz.
43:56But the world was silent then,
43:58and the world is silent again.
44:02We are standing now
44:04after almost 18 months
44:06of genocide.
44:08One of the most horrific
44:10scenes in the world broadcasted live
44:12on TV and social media.
44:14It's our duty and the duty
44:16of every righteous person
44:18to stand up and say no.
44:22Of course, they tried to accuse
44:24the pro-Palestinian movement
44:26as anti-Semitic,
44:28and the Jewish people
44:30were standing up as self-hating Jews.
44:32We are here today
44:34to counter-design these lies
44:36and say no, we as Jewish people
44:38we are here to say that
44:40anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitic.
44:48The Jewish people around the world,
44:50through to our religion, through to the Torah,
44:52are here today to clarify
44:54that standing against Palestine
44:56is our duty as Jewish people.
45:02We are here today as proud Jews
45:04to demand an end to Zionism
45:06and an end to their crimes,
45:08a long chain of violence and bloodshed
45:10to the whole world.
45:14Let me remind all of you
45:16that the whole idea of Zionism
45:18creating a so-called Jewish homeland
45:20during exile
45:22is against our religion.
45:24The leaders of the Zionist movement,
45:26Dieter Hensel, wrote in his diary
45:28that he is against the Jewish religion.
45:30This is the true face of Zionism.
45:36But now as these crimes unfold
45:38and the Zionists have shed rivers of blood
45:40since the establishment of their state,
45:42Jewish people are standing up
45:44and declaring
45:46this is not Judaism.
45:52We also need to remind ourselves
45:54of the beautiful peace
45:56that did exist in Palestine
45:58prior to the movement of Zionism,
46:00a beautiful peace.
46:02The Zionists don't want you to hear this,
46:04but we lived in peace.
46:06The only problem is this brutal occupation
46:08for over 76 years.
46:10Blood on both sides,
46:12Jews and Palestinians.
46:14The Zionists are responsible for this bloodshed.
46:20No matter how many times
46:22they will repeat their propaganda lies,
46:24we will stand first.
46:26We will stand with Mohamed Kanel.
46:34To those brave students who are standing up,
46:36we Jewish people admire them
46:38and urge them to continue
46:40their courageous stance.
46:46I will conclude that I am pleading
46:48with the world leaders,
46:50I am pleading with President Trump,
46:52the senators, all the officials,
46:54we are pleading that
46:56stop the Zionist propaganda
46:58and release all who are standing
47:00on the right side of history.
47:04The evil Zionist movement
47:06will not be forever.
47:08We will see sooner
47:10free Palestine than they will be
47:12on the right side of history,
47:14sooner than it is. Thank you.
47:20We want justice, you say how!
47:24Release Mahmoud right now!
47:26Release Mahmoud right now!
47:28Release Mahmoud right now!
47:30Release Mahmoud right now!
47:32Release Mahmoud right now!
47:34Release Mahmoud right now!
47:36Please help us welcome
47:38our next speaker, Basma,
47:40from the Palestinian American Community Center
47:42here in New Jersey.
47:46My name is Basma Bsharat,
47:48I'm the Palestinian Education Director
47:50at the Palestinian American Community Center
47:52of New Jersey.
47:54I want to begin by extending gratitude
47:56to all the advocates, organizers,
47:58and community members who stand united
48:00with us here today.
48:02I also want to send our love and strength to
48:04Nour, Mahmoud's wife, who's going
48:06through the most difficult times of her life right now.
48:08As a community center,
48:10we are living testament
48:12to the very real fear
48:14and threat that our community members
48:16are facing right now.
48:18We are witnessing firsthand the tangible
48:20threat to our very existence.
48:22Simply being Palestinian
48:24is under attack.
48:26And this is not an abstract fear.
48:28It is a present and daily reality
48:30that we are being forced to confront.
48:32The attack on Mahmoud
48:34is not just an attack on him.
48:36The attack on Mahmoud
48:38is an attack on all of us.
48:40It is not a hypothetical concern,
48:42it's a very real
48:44and imminent danger.
48:46And as we see with each passing day,
48:48this is happening to more and more of our community members.
48:50We live in the
48:52United States of America.
48:54We are supposed to be served by institutions
48:56that uphold justice,
48:58truth, and the rights of all people.
49:00The right to freedom of speech
49:02is the foundation of this country.
49:04And it is not a privilege,
49:06it's a right that has been earned
49:08by generations of struggle.
49:10And yet, today,
49:12this right of freedom of speech
49:14is under attack.
49:16The attack on Mahmoud
49:18is not just about Mahmoud.
49:20It's not just about the Palestinian community.
49:22We have heard this warning for decades.
49:24Palestine is the litmus test.
49:26Today, the assault is on Palestine
49:28and those advocating for Palestine.
49:30Tomorrow, it will be on anyone
49:32who dares to speak out
49:34for justice, for truth, for dignity.
49:36We must be clear.
49:38What happens to Mahmoud
49:40could happen to any one of us.
49:42This is not just a Palestinian issue.
49:44It's an issue for everyone
49:46who believes in free speech,
49:48human rights, and basic human dignity.
49:54This is about a system
49:56that criminalizes marginalized communities,
49:58silences dissent,
50:00and perpetuates cycles of violence
50:02against anyone who dares to speak out.
50:04Calling out
50:06the indiscriminate killing of children,
50:08the slaughter of hundreds of thousands
50:10of people should not be problematic.
50:12Naming a present-day genocide
50:14should not be controversial.