San Jose rallies to defend Mahmoud Khalil, free speech
San Jose, CA – On March 14, a crowd of 100 people braved the March winds to speak out in defense of Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of the Palestine solidarity movement at New York’s Columbia University who faces deportation on the grounds of his political work. Khalil has not been charged with any crime.
Between chants of “Free Mahmoud Khalil,” community members spoke of the history and ongoing reality of political repression of mass movements by the U.S. and its allies.
Haddy Barghouti, a Palestinian transfer student at San Jose State University and political director of San Jose State University Students for Justice in Palestine, stated, “Khalil, like thousands of other Palestinian prisoners, has been unjustly detained under Israel’s brutal occupation. He is a victim of systematic oppression, locked away without due process, without justice. His freedom and the freedom of all Palestinian prisoners is essential to our cause. We cannot stand for a world where innocent people are imprisoned for resisting an occupation that has stripped them of their land, their dignity, and their rights.”
Allie Chen, a member of San Jose Against War told the crowd, “This assault on Mr. Khalil’s First Amendment rights, which again are the same as yours and mine, has the potential to reverberate and impact American citizens as well.”
Philip Nguyen, also of San Jose Against War said that Trump “plans to use the same forces that terrorize our undocumented community members to also target people who speak out against atrocities that the U.S. government is complicit in. The billions in funding that go to aid and abet Israel, ICE and the militarization of the border could instead be used to fund the people’s needs here, to funding universal healthcare, education, housing and public transportation.”
Nguyen ended with a call to build the organized movement, stating, “The fight continues, so I call onto you to get organized. Help build the movement for anti-war and divestment from genocide in San Jose and beyond.”