By: Fern Sidman

A wave of tension gripped Midtown Manhattan on Saturday as more than 700 anti-Israel demonstrators marched from Times Square to Columbus Circle in a charged rally supporting Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil — a controversial figure at the center of ongoing campus unrest and, increasingly, a national flashpoint in the broader debate over anti-Semitism and free expression in the United States.

According to a report that appeared on Saturday in The New York Post, the crowd included a mix of young demonstrators — many masked — some of whom waved Hamas flags and hurled verbal abuse at both police and pro-Israel counter-protesters. The scene, punctuated by screaming matches and taunts, illustrated just how volatile these gatherings have become.

In one particularly jarring exchange reported by The New York Post, a masked teen screamed “Get the f–k out of Palestine” at a group of Israel supporters near Columbus Circle. One Israel supporter shot back: “Does this look like America to anybody? What the f–k is this?” Another countered simply, “It’s garbage,” emphasizing the bitterness and acrimony between the opposing factions.

Beyond the headline clashes, the demonstration disrupted daily life for many New Yorkers who happened to find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. The New York Post report highlighted the case of 57-year-old Daniel Hollman, who was merely heading to a local supermarket when he was aggressively confronted by demonstrators. Hollman told The Post that protesters insulted him with slurs and assumptions.

“They called me gay; I’m not gay!” Hollman said. “I have a wife. I think it’s because I’m wearing a suit. They called me a Zionist. I’m not a Zionist. I’m not Jewish, but I support Israel and its right to defend itself.” His experience illustrates the troubling escalation in hostility, where even a perceived affiliation with Israel or traditional appearance can provoke harassment from demonstrators.

At the heart of the rally was the figure of Mahmoud Khalil, who The New York Post described as a key agitator in the anti-Israel protest movement at Columbia University. Khalil, a graduate student who gained notoriety after organizing numerous demonstrations on campus following the October 7th Hamas massacre in Israel, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 8.

Khalil was arrested at a Columbia-owned residential building and subsequently transferred to a detention facility in Louisiana, where he is now facing deportation proceedings. According to The New York Post report, his arrest has drawn national attention and transformed him into a symbolic figure among protesters, who view him as a martyr of the growing federal crackdown on campus activism that is blatantly anti-Semitic in nature.

Khalil has effectively become the poster boy for President Trump’s renewed efforts to hold universities accountable for allowing “radical anti-Semitic behavior” to fester on campuses under the guise of free speech, as was noted in The New York Post report. Trump allies have pointed to Khalil as a case study in how foreign students allegedly abuse the protections of American higher education institutions to propagate divisive and extremist ideologies.

The protest comes at a time of heightened political and social polarization surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, especially in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack that left over 1,200 Israelis dead and sparked the war in Gaza.