This weekend, protests linked to the Iranian regime and opposing Israel are set to take place across the United States, drawing participants who may support extremist views. These demonstrations coincide with Al Quds Day, an event that signifies solidarity with Palestinians. Promotional materials for the day feature messages advocating for the dissolution of Israel, with phrases like “Palestine resists — Zionism ceases to exist.”
In light of the ongoing conflict involving Iran, both federal and local authorities are on heightened alert. This vigilance is especially critical given the recent surge in threats of terrorism and violence, targeting Jewish communities, following a synagogue attack in Michigan earlier this week.
In New York City, the Black Alliance for Peace has announced a series of Al Quds Day events in Times Square. These are scheduled for Friday, marking the conclusion of Ramadan, and will continue on Saturday. Similarly, in San Francisco, the Palestinian Youth Movement is organizing a “Quds Day: No to US Intervention” rally, protesting against US and Israeli foreign policies. Meanwhile, in Chicago, groups with strong anti-Israel sentiments, including the ANSWER Coalition, Students for Justice in Palestine, and the Palestinian Youth Movement, are planning a demonstration outside the Israeli Consulate on Friday.
These protests are expected to face opposition from numerous Iranian expatriates who support US military actions against Iran’s authoritarian regime. Counterprotests are anticipated in various locations as these opposing views come to a head.
In San Francisco, Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) are holding a “Quds day: no to US intervention” rally against “US and Israel warmongering.” In Chicago, radical anti-Israel groups such as the ANSWER Coalition, Students for Justice in Palestine and PYM, have scheduled a protest outside the Israeli Consulate on Friday.
In many places, they will be met by counterprotests from thousands of Iranians who support the US military action against the country’s hardline regime.
US Senator Tom Cotton (R. Ark.) warns the protests involving PYM are “dangerous” to Americans, and called on the FBI to investigate the radical PYM and its leader Aisha Nizar.
He told The Post Wednesday that the PYM’s “violent rhetoric threatens Americans’ safety.
“I’ve repeatedly asked the FBI to investigate, and trust that they are taking the necessary steps to protect our citizens, including those working in our embassies and consulates abroad, from this dangerous organization,” said Cotton.
Jewish groups said they will be watching the protests closely and working with authorities to monitor them.
“Quds Day protests, originally conceived by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979, have historically served as a platform for antisemitic rhetoric and open support for US-designated terrorist organizations including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Palestinian Islamic Jihad … we are particularly concerned about the potential for inflammatory rhetoric at this week’s demonstrations,” Oren Segal, Anti Defamation League’s Senior Vice President on Counter-Extremism and Intelligence told The Post.
In London, the city’s Metropolitan Police banned an annual march and counter protests for Al Quds day, which were set to begin on Friday, citing heightened antisemitic incidents and tensions in the Middle East.
“The right to protest is fundamental, but it does not extend to providing a platform for intimidation, extremist propaganda or the promotion of a regime openly hostile to the West,” said a letter signed by 80 British members of Parliament to secure the police ban.
The US consulate in Toronto, which was attacked by gunmen earlier this week, has also been targeted for an Al Quds Day protest by the local chapter of PYM, who did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
“There’s been a long history of concern about Al-Quds Day, which is an annual hateful protest, an event that calls for the elimination and eradication of the State of Israel,” Toronto city councilor Brad Bradford told National Post.
“That often ends up bringing out folks who are glorifying terrorists and waving Hamas flags and calling for the death of Jews … it’s not the type of thing that we want to see on the streets of Toronto.”
Iranian activists told The Post that they are planning their own demonstrations to thank President Trump for the US military intervention in Iran.
“We don’t like war, but we couldn’t collapse the Islamic Republic without one,” said Salar Gholami, a champion boxer and Iranian-Canadian activist whose Toronto boxing gym, Saliwan Boxing, was attacked by early morning gunfire on March 1.
“We need freedom and we need elections, and we want to thank Donald Trump and Israel for helping us.” There are more than 200,000 Iranians living in the Toronto area, he added.
President Trump said earlier this week the FBI has briefed him on numerous Iranian terrorist sleeper cells in the country which could be activated as a result of the war.
