Anti-Israel organizations mobilized demonstrations across the United States on the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, with protesters in several cities waving Palestinian flags, chanting «long live the intifada,» and celebrating the ambush that killed more than a thousand civilians. The coordinated events, organized by nonprofits in the Singham network, were intentionally scheduled on and around the anniversary and are set to continue with larger rallies this weekend.
In New York City, organizers from NYU Students for Justice in Palestine staged a walkout at 12:30 p.m. in Washington Square Park as part of what they called a «NYU WEEK OF RAGE,» stating in a social media post that they remain «steadfast in our commitment to Palestinian liberation.» Separately, demonstrators gathered at the gates of Columbia University at 2 p.m., where encampments and riots had embroiled the campus in the years since the attack. As students passed through the heavily guarded gates, protesters from The Columbia Intifada and others chanted «globalize the intifada» through a megaphone. Columbia University has previously said the Columbia Intifada is not officially associated with the school.
At 4 p.m., some of the same groups traveled to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office at City Hall, flying Palestinian flags and echoing chants through Manhattan's Financial District. Mamdani weighed in on the anniversary earlier Wednesday, saying «we grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors» affected by the loss on October 7, 2023, before criticizing Israel for an «ongoing genocide in Gaza.» He wrote on X that «the suffering did not begin nor end that day» and claimed the Israeli government has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, including over 21,000 children. His schedule for the anniversary included a vigil for Israeli victims of the Hamas attack, followed by a meeting with «Palestinian New Yorkers.»
In California, Students for Justice in Palestine UCLA mobilized at Bruin Plaza on the Los Angeles campus, echoing similar messages to groups nationwide. At UC Davis, agitators celebrated the terrorist attack, calling for «glory to the resistance» and referring to October 7 as the «anniversary of the al-Aqsa Flood,» the military code name Hamas gave the attack three years ago.
The October 7, 2023, attack saw Hamas-led terrorists storm into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, converging on a music festival in a surprise ambush that killed roughly 1,200 people. The attackers abducted more than 250 people and took them into Gaza as hostages, triggering a conflict that remains ongoing. The organized events on Wednesday highlighted the protest infrastructure that has fueled many anti-Israel demonstrations since October 2023, with Singham-backed groups like the People's Forum and CodePink consistently in attendance. On Tuesday, the People's Forum collaborated with Shut it Down 4 Palestine to prepare for a separate protest scheduled for Saturday in Washington Square Park «to stand against three years of continued genocide in Gaza,» according to their social media post.
A Fox News Digital investigation revealed that Singham has donated $22.44 million to the People's Forum Inc. Last month, CodePink, founded by Singham's wife, Jodie Evans, marched alongside communist and Marxist groups in protest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations General Assembly. Singham, a 72-year-old American who sold his tech company for $785 million in 2017 and now lives in Shanghai, has funneled $278 million into the broad network of nonprofits since 2017, according to the investigation. These groups regularly organize and participate in anti-ICE, anti-Israel, and pro-Iran demonstrations. The Southern District of New York opened a grand jury probe into Singham's finances in June. He has not been charged with any crime.
Trauma psychologist Dr. Orli Peter, who founded the Israel Healing Initiative, a nonprofit providing high-tech trauma treatment for people impacted by the October 7 attack, told Fox News Digital that the demonstrations «manipulate the public,» weaponize the anniversary, and detract from the mourning of Jewish people. «Demonstrating while Jews are mourning on Oct. 7 weaponizes the anniversary,» Peter said. «It serves two purposes for the activists: One is to manipulate the public by interrupting the mourning before empathy settles on Jewish suffering and responsibility points to Hamas. The other is to show power over the mourners, telling them, 'Even in your grief, in your memory, in your most vulnerable day, we can invade.'»