Hundreds of demonstrators affiliated with a progressive Jewish activist group packed into the lower level of Trump Tower Thursday to protest the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and former Columbia University student.
President Trump has heralded the arrest as his administration moves to deport Mr. Khalil, a legal permanent resident of the United States who was a prominent figure in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on Columbia’s campus.
The protesters held aloft cloth banners printed in red and black lettering. One read, “Free Mahmoud Free Palestine.” They chanted, their words reverberating against the coral marble tiling. “Fight Nazis, not students,” they repeated.
Ninety-eight of the protesters were later arrested, according to John Chell, the Police Department’s chief of department.
Since news of Mr. Khalil’s arrest on Saturday became public, New Yorkers have taken to the streets, marching in Lower Manhattan and gathering on Columbia’s campus uptown. Free speech advocates and immigrant rights groups have questioned the legality of arresting Mr. Khalil, 30, who has a green card, was born and raised in Syria and is married to an American citizen. His lawyers are challenging his arrest in court.
Shortly before noon on Thursday, hundreds of people who had slowly been streaming into the lower level plaza of Trump Tower, President Trump’s high-rise in Midtown Manhattan, took off their coats and revealed bright red T-shirts that said “Not in Our Name” on the front and “Jews Say Stop Arming Israel” on the back.