Staff Reports
In what can only be described as a public relations disaster for those in the “peace-loving” camp, a group of protesters from the Jewish Voice for Peace marched into Trump Tower, badgering the air with shouts for the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist facing immigration issues. Khalil, who has made a name for himself with anti-Israel protests at Columbia University, found himself in a legal pickle after being arrested, leading these demonstrators to deploy their dramatic and overly theatrical tactics at a notable landmark—the grand Trump Tower.
The protesters donned red shirts with the slogan “Jews say stop arming Israel” and their chants of “Bring Mahmoud home now!” echoed through the lobby like a political chant rehearsed too often in their echo chambers. Little did they realize that such a scene would attract the watchful eyes of the NYPD, who soon began to facilitate some much-needed order, arresting 98 of the rowdy bunch for multiple infractions including trespassing and obstruction of justice. Clearly, chaos is not the best way to make a case for one’s cause.
Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident married to an American citizen, found himself on the wrong side of the immigration law after a Saturday arrest led to his detention in a Louisiana facility. Despite his claims of innocence, the very fact that he has been linked to inflammatory protests raises eyebrows about whether he is indeed the non-violent activist he claims to be. President Trump certainly has not missed the chance to signal the end of tolerance for individuals who embrace “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.” Sounds like a fair warning to demonstrate that America will no longer stand idly by while its values are trampled.
Jewish protesters flood Trump Tower’s lobby to demand the Columbia University activist’s releasehttps://t.co/axdOLNSumJ pic.twitter.com/8z8lNDmSeH
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) March 14, 2025
Among the protesters was actress Debra Winger, who surprisingly has found herself advocating for Khalil, claiming the Trump administration has no regard for Jewish safety. This seems like an odd take, given that the administration has consistently supported Israel as its ally. Nonetheless, Winger suggested that Khalil’s arrest was an “illegal abduction,” playing the victim card to stir emotional reactions rather than engaging in intelligent, rational discourse. She must have missed the memo that living under the rule of law sometimes entails facing consequences for the choices made.
The protests backfired, highlighting the ongoing tensions within America’s current socio-political climate—but more importantly, they brought to light the irony of fighting for free speech rights while simultaneously demanding the release of individuals whose activities may skew towards anti-American sentiment. College campuses across the nation have been staging a similar circus, often finding themselves embroiled in scandals that challenge the First Amendment while simultaneously trying to silence dissenting views. The ongoing saga of Khalil and others like him is becoming a peculiar case study in the lengths to which some will go to defend freedom of expression, even when it borders on the nonsensical.
As a cherry on this topsy-turvy sundae of social justice, Khalil and several of his cohorts are attempting to thwart Congress from accessing disciplinary records related to Columbia and Barnard students involved in campus protests. The argument made by them is that Congress is playing the “big, bad wolf” by leveraging federal funding to intimidate schools into cooperation. The audacity displayed by those who want to shield themselves from scrutiny under the guise of protecting “free speech” raises serious questions about accountability, as well as the notion of accepting the consequences that come with a fervent political ideology. It may just be that the wolves are tired of pretending to be sheep.
