Protesters arrested after storming Trump Tower to demand release of Mahmoud Khalil

By Chelsea Bailey, Jeff Winter, Elizabeth Hartfield and Omar Jimenez, CNN

(CNN) — Nearly 100 people were arrested after protesters gathered at Trump Tower in Manhattan Thursday to denounce the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist detained by ICE over his involvement with pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University.

The protest, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, began shortly after noon when demonstrators dressed in red shirts that read “Not in our Name” and “Jews Say Stop Arming Israel,” crammed into the Tower’s iconic golden lobby.

They chanted “Free Mahmoud Khalil” and unfurled banners that read “Never Again for Anyone” and “Jews Say Do Not Comply.”

Ninety-eight people were later arrested and 50 were led from the lobby in zip ties and placed into awaiting police vehicles, according to the New York Police Department. No injuries or property damage was reported, the NYPD said.

An organizer livestreamed the protest from the balcony overlooking the atrium of Trump Tower.

“As Jews, we’re here today, mere hours before the holiday of Purim begins – a holiday where we honor Esther who used her voice to speak out and demand that the king not commit genocide,” the woman said in the video. “Today we are using her same courage to speak out.”

As the NYPD moved in to arrest the demonstrators, they sat in unison and began chanting, “Free Palestine,” and “the whole world is watching.”

The protest comes days after Khalil was detained by federal agents at his home in New York after the Trump administration canceled his green card. In a post on Truth Social Monday, Trump wrote, “If you support terrorism …. your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests, and you are not welcome here.”

Khalil’s attorney has said the US government “retaliated” against her client “for speaking up in defense of Palestinians” and that he has been detained for exercising his right to Free Speech.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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