During the tumultuous period that preceded the Civil War, the United States passed a series of bills that came to be collectively known as the Compromise of 1850. The Compromise allowed for California’s entry into the Union as a free state, and outlawed the slave trade (but not slavery itself) in the District of Columbia. The most controversial element of the legislation, however, was the Fugitive Slave Act. Article IV of the Constitution already required that an enslaved person who escaped into a free state be returned to bondage, but the 1850 law created a federal bureaucracy to facilitate it. As the historian Andrew Delbanco notes in his book “The War Before the War,” a history of the national conflict over fugitive slaves, the Compromise “was meant to be a remedy and a salve, but it turned out to be an incendiary event that lit the fuse that led to civil war.”
The law was heavily weighted, in that it offered a fee of ten dollars to magistrates who ruled that an individual should be returned to slavery, but only five to those who ruled that the person should remain free. Even more controversially, it charged federal commissioners with enforcing the law, and they worked with loosely regulated agents, who made it their own business to track down fugitives and return them to slavery. These so-deemed slave catchers had a long reputation for conducting rogue operations. As Delbanco notes, “Even free black people in the North—including those who had never been enslaved—found their lives infused with the terror of being seized and deported on the pretext that they had once belonged to someone in the South.” Given that as many as a hundred thousand people escaped slavery and found refuge in free states in the nineteenth century, fugitives represented a population residing illegally within largely sympathetic communities—a fact that incensed hard-liners on the slavery issue. Seeking a middle ground, Senator Henry Clay, of Kentucky, who introduced the Compromise, imagined that the law would placate irate Southerners who fumed at the monetary losses that escaped slaves represented, but few lawmakers foresaw the impact that it would have in the North.
Even in the free states, attitudes toward slavery were complicated. A raft of economic, social, and religious dynamics had resulted in the abolition or prohibition of slavery, but that did not automatically mean that the entire population favored racial equality or abolition in general. (When Northern states began abolishing slavery after the American Revolution, many slaveholders opted to sell their chattel to buyers in the South rather than manumit them.) At the same time, the Fugitive Slave Act replaced the more complicated questions about the institution with a single, less complicated one: Were Northerners prepared to watch their neighbors, many of whom had lived in their communities for years, be violently removed from their homes or grabbed off the streets? For many, the answer was no.
Attempted enforcement of the law met with immediate resistance. In 1851, an armed mob surrounded a group of agents led by a slaveholder, Edward Gorsuch, in Christiana, Pennsylvania, who were attempting to return four fugitives to his farm, in Maryland; Gorsuch was shot and killed. The four, along with others who participated in the standoff, escaped, and some reached Canada with the assistance of Frederick Douglass. In Syracuse, New York, Oberlin, Ohio, and other cities, crowds swarmed jails where captured fugitives were held in other successful efforts to free them, at the risk of their own prosecution. (In 1854, fifty thousand people filled the streets of Boston, a center of abolitionist resistance, to protest against returning Anthony Burns, a Black man who had escaped from slavery in Virginia, to that state. (When that effort failed, a group privately purchased Burns’s freedom and facilitated his return to Massachusetts.)
The significance of this history is twofold. The Fugitive Slave Act was rhetorically useful for a certain element of the political class, but for most people it took an issue that they may have felt ambivalent about—or hadn’t much thought about at all—and gave them a direct, visceral reason to feel very strongly about it. Slavery might have been an abstract national concern, but the fate of a neighbor, whom people may have depended upon as a part of their community, was very much a personal one. Something akin to that reaction is occurring in communities across the U.S. now, as social-media feeds fill with images of children being harassed by ICE agents as they leave school and of a five-year-old boy being detained, and of adults being shoved to the ground and pepper-sprayed or pulled from their cars after agents smash the windows. The Fugitive Slave Act is remembered by historians for its ironic effect: designed as a means of cooling the simmering regional tensions over slavery, the law effectively made it the most contentious issue facing the nation. It pushed Americans toward the realization that the nation was bound in what William Seward later termed an “irrepressible conflict.”
With throngs of people in Minnesota protesting the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge, President Donald Trump and some of his allies repeatedly described the protesters as paid.
“The thugs that are protesting include many highly paid professional agitators and anarchists,” he said Jan. 18 on Truth Social.
“They’re paid agitators and insurrectionists,” Trump said at a Jan. 20 press conference.
The next day in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said the “fake” protests were “done by agitators and professional insurrectionists. … They’re professional troublemakers.”
He added, “We are looking very strong at the money, too, in Minnesota and other places.”
We asked the White House for Trump’s evidence about “paid” protesters and received no response. Although some people on social media have provided what they said is evidence of such activity, we found none of the claims held up to scrutiny.
Yet Trump’s claim has become a talking point among his leaders and supporters. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on CBS “Face the Nation” that Minneapolis is distinct from other cities, where she said officials didn’t see “funded protesters.”
Vice President JD Vance at a Jan. 8 White House press briefing asked, “When somebody throws a brick at an ICE agent or somebody tries to run over an ICE agent, who paid for the brick?” (Bricks are commonly falsely described as evidence of organized, paid protests.)
Interviewed Jan. 13 on CNN’s “The Source” about Renee Good’s fatal shooting by an ICE officer, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., called for an investigation of “paid protesters, and who’s paying them to obstruct federal officers from doing their job.”
Minnesotans have responded to immigration agents’ presence in their communities for weeks. The protests have been widely covered and there’s no evidence any of it is staged. None of these politicians explained who they believed was underwriting the protests.
Experts told us that the majority of protesters are locals showing their dissent. We found a large volunteer protest movement in the Twin Cities.
Yohuru Williams, a historian and director of the Racial Justice Initiative at Minnesota’s University of St. Thomas, told PolitiFact in an email that “most protesters are residents of the state who are concerned not only about the presence of ICE in the state but also the President’s usurpation of power.”
People participate in a protest and noise demonstration calling for an end to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city, Jan. 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP)
How Minnesotans are protesting immigration action
The Twin Cities have a long tradition of community organizing among civic groups and institutions. Labor unions, faith-based groups and immigrant organizations have played roles in resisting the federal immigration operation in Minnesota. Groups have staged high school walkouts, marches and sign-waving demonstrations.
The group Singing Resistance holds peaceful vigils with singing. Volunteers have donated to food drives and delivered groceries to families scared to leave their homes. The Smitten Kitten, a Minnesota shop that sells sex products, has collected food, diapers and other necessities for immigrants staying at home. St. Paul’s Mischief Toy Store distributed free whistles for people to alert others to ICE activity. Restaurants offered special menu items such as “f— ICE cold brew” to raise money for an immigrant rights group.
Jillian Hiscock, owner of the women’s sports-themed A Bar of Their Own, told PolitiFact the protesters are not paid.
“We’ve had folks from literally every walk of life stopping in to make posters and grab whistles — families with small children, bundled up seniors with walking canes that we helped create a necklace for their sign so they wouldn’t have to hold onto anything, and everything in between,” Hiscock said in an email.
Hiscock said she has heard many people who are protesting now say they never took action in the past, and the descriptions of “paid protesters” aim to undermine their voices.
“I truly think it’s a made-up sentiment to try to minimize the groundswell of the movement here on the ground,” Hiscock said.
Neighbors joined Signal chats to alert each other to immigration enforcement actions nearby and take action. The Monarca Movement has held “upstander” trainings to teach people how to record video of immigration agents or how to respond if agents leave behind a child or abandon a car during an arrest.
On Jan. 23, thousands of people marched in downtown Minneapolis in subzero temperatures before rallying at the Target Center. Earlier in the day, about 100 clergy members were arrested in an airport protest. Hundreds of businesses closed Jan. 23 for the “ICE Out of Minnesota Day of Truth and Freedom” event.
Describing the weather that day on air, Minnesota Vikings radio announcer Paul Allen joked about protesters getting “hazard pay.” Three days later, he apologized after backlash, calling it “a cheap one-liner” and “insensitive and poorly timed,” and said he would take a few days off.
Danielle K. Brown, a Michigan State University journalism professor who formerly worked at the University of Minnesota, told PolitiFact in an email, “There is no evidence of philanthropic efforts funding expansive civilian protest efforts.”
Professional community organizers have been involved in the protests, which is normal for all protests, Brown said. Groups with different ideologies routinely speak at such events.
However, “The majority of protesters are still locals who do not get paid to engage in protest and resistance work,” Brown said.
Timothy Zick, a First Amendment expert and William & Mary law professor, said residents of the community were protesting “what they view as lawless misconduct by ICE agents.” He said the Trump administration’s descriptions of paid protesters are “baseless” and aim to diminish and dismiss dissent.
Critics of 2024’s Israel-Gaza campus protests and 2025’s anti-Trump “Hands Off” protests in Washington, D.C., also used the term “outside agitators” or other terms, but our reporting found the claims lackedmerit. Zick previously told PolitiFact the description has been used throughout history to discredit large historical movements, regardless of how peaceful they were.
Attendees hold signs during a rally against federal immigration enforcement at Target Center on Jan. 23, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP)
These videos aren’t evidence protesters are getting paid
Social media users amplified allegations that professional protesters or agitators are in Minnesota to make money. When we reviewed their posts’ evidence, we found they were generated with artificial intelligence or recycled content from years ago.
In one example, an artificial intelligence-generated video shared on TikTok claimed to show conservative influencer Nick Shirley interviewing a protester in Minneapolis, who says he’s jobless but is getting $20 an hour to protest. The video has a watermark for Sora, OpenAI’s video-generating platform. It came from an account which has shared many other AI-generatedvideos.
(Screenshot of TikTok post showing Sora watermark.)
In another example, an X post shared photos of documents it said were contract paperwork for paid protesters. “This is 100% proof that NONE of the Democrat protests are organic,” the Jan. 20 post said. “They can all be IGNORED because they are FAKE.”
The same images were shared in previous years, including in a 2018 blog post claiming to show proof that protesters were paid to plan the 2015 Baltimore riots; in 2020 to claim people protesting George Floyd’s murder were following a manual; and in 2024 by Shirley to falsely claim paid protesters were marching outside of the Democratic National Convention to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
(Screenshot of page of a fake contract for paid protesters.)
One Fox News video was shared widely as if it showed one protester’s admission she had been paid. In it, Fox News host Laura Ingraham stood in the streets of Minneapolis questioning a protester who was shouting, “Shame! Shame! Shame!” in front of the camera. “Do you have a job?” Ingraham asked the woman, whose face was partially covered by a scarf. “I’m getting paid right now,” the protester answered. Ingraham flashed a thumbs up to the camera. PolitiFact couldn’t confirm the protester’s identity or motives and we found no further reporting on the incident.
Our ruling
Trump said protesters against the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota are conducting “fake protests done by agitators and professional insurrectionists. …They’re professional troublemakers.”
Minnesotans have been protesting immigration agents in their communities for weeks. Some professional community organizers are involved in the protests but evidence shows a large volunteer protest movement in the Twin Cities.The accusation that protesters are “paid” is a frequent talking point to dismiss the legitimacy of grassroots activism and criticism of the government.
The social media posts we found that claimed to show evidence of paid protesters were either AI-generated, recycled conspiracy theories or unsubstantiated.
But many Minnesotans might also no longer be sure if protests today will lead to change. If this is the case, their hesitancy is likely shared by many of their fellow-Americans who, in the past year, have dutifully shown up to large-scale marches around the country, such as “No Kings” day, but who do not appear to expect anything more from these mass gatherings than an opportunity to vent and to feel camaraderie and kinship.
The truth is that, thanks to the two-party system, relative economic comfort, and basic stability, many of us in America do not have much in the way of political imagination. Nostalgia certainly plays a role in our limited view—we are always re-creating the marches we learned about in history class—but it’s increasingly clear that the internet and social media also have a diluting effect on dissent, creating the illusion of strength through volume while somehow watering down everything in the process. We can tweet, go protest, and vote. That’s about it.
During the past fifteen or so years, we have seen a handful of revolutions-that-weren’t, from the Arab Spring to the summer of George Floyd to the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong. Today, we are watching yet another insurrectionary moment in the streets of Iran. The ceding of nearly all communication to the internet might be generating a pattern of online flareups followed by enormous, stirring street protests. What remains unclear, as chronicled by Vincent Bevins in his excellent book “If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution,” is what happens after the streets empty and people go back to their phones. Bevins, who published the book in 2023, argued that what we have seen so far, at least, is that the protests fail to achieve much in terms of material or political goals and are followed by periods of intense backlash and repression.
Before Good was killed in Minneapolis, I was already thinking about Bevins’s book, as the sabres rattled after the capture of the Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro. The Trump Administration, through some cockeyed revision of the Monroe Doctrine, seems eager to stake a claim to the entire Western Hemisphere. After Maduro’s capture, the Trump War Room account on X posted a cartoon of the President straddling North and South America with a big stick reading “Donroe Doctrine” in his hand. A litany of possible military targets emerged throughout the week, communicated via leaks, press conferences, and statements from the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and from Donald Trump himself. Greenland, Colombia, and Cuba have all been named as places that should be on high alert for some measure of American military expedition. (Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, said this week that, after speaking with Trump, the U.S. would not be invading her country.) A year ago, the invasion of Greenland felt like a joke, or, at worst, a sign of Trump’s deteriorating grip on reality. Today, it seems inevitable that America will seize Greenland from Denmark and will then turn its eye back to Central and South America. Congress appears utterly incapable of restraining the Administration’s adventurism, and condemnation from foreign leaders seems only to add new names to the list of America’s enemies.
The public, according to polls, does not support the President’s expansionism. Only a third of respondents in a recent poll approved of the operation to capture Maduro; around nine in ten said that the Venezuelan people, not the United States, should control who governs them. On a broader level, Trump and Rubio’s imperialist aims cut against the priorities of the vast majority of their constituents: only twenty-seven per cent of respondents polled in September wanted the U.S. to take a “more active role” to “solve the world’s problems.” Readers of this column know that I’m skeptical of opinion polling—except when results are more or less uniform and conform to a coherent picture of the electorate. In this case, a country that endured seemingly unending wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and that has watched the wars in Ukraine and Gaza extract incalculable humanitarian and financial tolls might be wary of military interventionism.
ICE is not popular, either. A few hours before Good was killed, YouGov released a poll showing that only thirty-nine per cent of Americans approved of how the agency was doing its job. Regardless of what you think about the laws concerning justifiable force—which, in any case, have been muddied by ICE’s wanton disregard for due process and for normal law-enforcement procedures—there was no reason for an agent to fire multiple times into a car that was travelling at a modest speed and seemed to be trying to move out of the agents’ way. The attempt by Kristi Noem, the head of the Department of Homeland Security, to smear Good as a “domestic terrorist” has only fuelled public indignation. Lies will not convince Americans who watched an ordinary person get executed by a panicked federal agent in a mask. Even those who believe that Good should not have been impeding law enforcement are unlikely to support what Noem seemed to be doing, which was celebrating the death of a supposed terrorist.
PORTLAND, OR – A Portland police officer has been reassigned after video surfaced showing him appearing to agree with the tactics used by federal officers who fatally shot a woman in Minnesota last week.
The video, which circulated on social media Friday, shows the officer speaking with members of the public during a demonstration in Portland. In the footage, the officer appears to justify the use of deadly force by federal officers involved in the Minnesota shooting, prompting criticism online.
The Portland Police Bureau said the officer was removed from his regular assignment and reassigned to other duties while the bureau reviews the incident. Officials said the move is administrative and does not indicate discipline at this stage.
The shooting in Minnesota involved federal immigration officers and has sparked protests nationwide, including in Portland, where demonstrators have condemned federal enforcement practices and use-of-force policies.
Portland officials have said officers working demonstrations are expected to remain professional and neutral, and to avoid comments that could undermine public trust.
Police said an internal review is underway to determine whether the officer’s remarks violated bureau policies or standards of conduct. The bureau said it will release additional information once the review is complete.
Israel used its Farsi channel to amplify messages of resistance as protests spread in Iran.
IsraelPersian, the official Farsi social media page of the Foreign Ministry, has been sharing posts encouraging the anti-regime protesters across Iran on Thursday.
The pinned message at the top of the account’s X/Twitter feed asks, “What do the Iranian people want?”
A post from Thursday afternoon appears to show authorities spraying protesters with water cannons.
The caption on the post reads “The people of Iran are not afraid of a delusional and disillusioned government. On the contrary, it is the government that trembles at the power of the people.”
The following post discusses the protesters’ motives.
“The Iranian people are out in the streets today, loudly. There are hundreds of reasons, including that they don’t want this government, a government that poured its money down the throats of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis terrorists and destroyed their economy for nuclear ambitions. The Iranian people deserve better than this,” it reads.
Foreign Ministry mocks Khamenei, IRGC as cowering
Then, a post shows a cartoon of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leaders hiding in a room as protesters break through the door.
The caption on the post reads “The destruction calendar they [the Islamic Republic regime] had set for Israel has now been set for themselves.”
The final post shared on Thursday evening shows a picture of a lion and sun, symbols traditionally linked with Iran’s pre-Islamic Revolution, and still used by anti-regime and pro-monarchy activists, with a sandglass depicting time running out for the Islamic Republic’s regime.
The caption for the post reads “The rise of Iranian lions and lionesses to fight against darkness. Light triumphs over darkness.”
Protesters have taken to the streets in Tanzania for a third day, defying warnings from the country’s army chief to end the unrest.
Demonstrations have been taking place in major cities with young protesters denouncing Wednesday’s election as unfair as key opposition figures were excluded from contesting against President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
An internet shutdown remains in place, making it difficult to confirm reports of deaths, and the authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the protests.
The UN has called on the East African nation’s security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force.
“We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania. Reports we have received indicate that at least 10 people were killed,” Reuters quoted the UN human rights spokesperson Seif Magango as saying, citing “credible sources”.
Amnesty International in Kenya told the BBC that with communications down in neighbouring Tanzania the rights group was not able to confirm reports of deaths.
Hospitals in the country are refusing to give information to journalists or human rights groups when asked about causalities.
The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence.
The electoral commission has announced results from about 80 regions of the country’s total 100 regions, the state broadcaster, TBC, shows.
President Samia is expected to win the vote under the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has governed the country since independence in 1961.
Official results are expected on Saturday.
Tanzania’s chief Muslim cleric – Sheikh Abubakar Zubeir bin Ally – has urged Muslims to perform Friday prayers at home amid fears of escalating violence.
On Thursday, army chief Gen Jacob John Mkunda ordered the protesters off the streets, saying the military would work with other security agencies to contain the situation.
“Some people went to the streets on 29 October and committed criminal acts. These are criminals and the criminal acts should be stopped immediately,” Gen Mkunda said on state TV, adding that the army had “controlled the situation”.
But the protesters have again taken to the streets of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.
On Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar – which elects its own government and leader – the CCM’s Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, has won with nearly 80% of the vote.
The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been “massive fraud”, the AP news agency reported.
Tourists on the archipelago are also reported to be stranded at the airport, with flight delays because of the protests, which have been on the mainland.
The protesters accuse the government of undermining democracy, as the main opposition leader is in jail and another opposition figure was disqualified from the election, bolstering Samia’s chances of winning.
Tundu Lissu, the main opposition leader, is in jail on treason charges, which he denies, and his party boycotted the vote.
The only other serious contender, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, was disqualified on legal technicalities.
Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were cleared to contest the elections.
Samia took office in 2021 as Tanzania’s first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.
She was initially praised for easing political repression, but the political space has since narrowed, with her government accused of targeting critics through arrests and a wave of abductions.
More about Tanzania from the BBC:
[Getty Images/BBC]
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Cameroon’s Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji says opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary will face legal action over allegations he incited “violent post-election demonstrations”.
At least four protesters have been killed during clashes between security forces and opposition supporters since Cameroon’s election on 12 October, with 92-year-old President Paul Biya winning an eighth consecutive term.
Tchiroma Bakary insists he won the election, a claim dismissed by Biya’s ruling party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM).
Violent crackdowns by police and security officers on protesters have alarmed the international community, with the UN, African Union and EU calling for restraint.
On Tuesday, Nji accused Tchiroma Bakary of organising what he said were “illegal” protests leading to the loss of lives, and also criticised him for declaring victory in the election.
He added that Tchiroma Bakary’s “accomplices responsible for an insurrectionary plan” will also face legal action.
Paul Biya, who came to power in 1982 and is now the world’s oldest head of state, won the 12 October election with 53.7% of the vote, compared to 35.2% for Tchiroma Bakary, according to Cameroon’s Constitutional Council.
Tchiroma Bakary is yet to respond to the government’s decision to try him, but he had previously told the BBC that he would not accept a stolen vote – and that he was not afraid of being arrested.
On election result day, he said armed men opened fire on protesters assembled near his residence in Garoua, fatally wounding at least two civilians.
On Tuesday, the interior minister revealed that an investigation would be launched into violent incidents before and after the announcement of the election results.
“During these attacks, some of the criminals lost their lives,” he said, without providing a specific number of protesters who have been killed in the clashes.
Nji added that several members of the security forces had also sustained serious injuries.
Although Nji insisted the situation nationwide was now under control, protesters remain active in some parts of the country, especially in Douala and Garoua, where demonstrators mounted roadblocks on Tuesday, and burnt tyres on the streets.
Analysts warn the post-electoral violence could plunge the country into a political crisis.
Additional reporting by Natasha Booty and Michel Mvondo
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[Getty Images/BBC]
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
She eventually reunited with her mother in 2016, when she entered the U.S. on a visitor visa. In Ramallah, she had studied fashion design; in the U.S, she enrolled in English-language programs on an F-1 student visa. Her mother, who is a U.S. citizen, filed a family-based petition for her to start the process of obtaining permanent residency, which was approved in 2021. While waiting for a green card, Kordia withdrew from school, voluntarily giving up her student status. According to court documents, a teacher had led her to believe—falsely, it turned out—that she was already a lawful permanent resident. In the years that followed, she cared for her mother, worked as a waitress, and helped look after her half brother, who is autistic. Paterson, which has a large Palestinian and Arab community, began to feel like home.
Since Israel launched its war on Gaza, following Hamas’s attacks on October 7, 2023, Kordia has lost more than a hundred and seventy-five relatives in the Strip. “My mind was all about Gaza, nothing else,” she said. The stories she heard from family members were horrifying. They were continuously displaced from one city to the next, fleeing for safety, only to confront more immediate dangers. Kordia, feeling “heartbroken,” didn’t know what to do. “To feel helpless—this is one of the most awful feelings in the world,” she said, adding that one of her aunts had already lost her home during Israeli bombardments in 2021. “There is no safe place in Gaza.”
As Kordia watched loved ones going hungry or being indiscriminately killed, protest became her only lifeline. She was accustomed to going to New York, a forty-five-minute train ride from Paterson, to visit museums and stroll the city’s streets. On April 30, 2024, as Columbia students erected encampments in solidarity with Palestinians, attracting international attention, she joined a demonstration outside the university’s gates, calling for an end to the violence. Police ordered the crowd to disperse. “Something you only see in movies,” she said of the display of force. Kordia, who felt lightheaded, sat on a sidewalk and was swept up in the arrests; she was handcuffed and shuttled by bus to police headquarters, where she was forced to remove her hijab for a search. The next morning, she was released with a notice to appear in court. The charges were later dismissed. She assumed that was the end of it.
When Kordia was arrested in March, the government accused her of terrorism. In a public statement issued shortly after her arrest, the Department of Homeland Security mistakenly identified her as a Columbia student. “It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the United States of America,” Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, said. “When you advocate for violence and terrorism that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country.” According to a report by the Associated Press, the N.Y.P.D. had turned over evidence of her arrest at the student demonstrations to ICE.
The government claims that money that Kordia sent to her family in Gaza—a few thousand U.S. dollars in total—is evidence of material support for Hamas. According to court documents, the money came from her waitressing job and from contributions from her neighbors. In late June, a federal judge concluded that Kordia’s detention likely violated her constitutional right to due process and recommended her release. No convincing evidence linking her to terrorist activity had been brought up. In response, the government contended that she posed a flight risk. Her petition is now pending in federal court alongside a separate asylum proceeding. “It breaks my heart to be labelled as something that I have nothing to do with,” she said.
In early October, the Trump Administration helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which included an exchange of hostages and prisoners. “Together we’ve achieved what everybody said was impossible,” President Trump said. “At long last we have peace in the Middle East.” Kordia, meanwhile, is the last remaining campus protester still in detention from the Trump Administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the U.S. At Prairieland Detention Facility, in Texas, she is fighting for her release while living in constant fear of deportation. She holds a passport from the Palestinian Authority, a travel document that offers no protection if she is deported to Israel. Such deportation, her legal team contends, would send her into the custody of the same Army that has killed dozens of her family members. Both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have targeted those accused of being affiliated with Hamas. Photos of Kordia have circulated widely online. Her lawyers say that the gravity of the allegations against her have compelled her to seek asylum. “I’m not just scared—I’m terrified,” Kordia said. “I’m terrified of being subjected to jail, torture even. It could get to the point of getting killed.”
In the facility, Kordia spends her days reading, praying, writing in her journal, and answering letters of support. She also finds solace and strength in the friendships she’s developed with the other detainees. “They’re beautiful women with dreams. They’re educated. They’re smart. They’re funny,” she said. “These beautiful women made it bearable.” She formed a particularly strong bond with Ward Sakeik, a Palestinian woman whose family is from Gaza. Sakeik was arrested by ICE in February while returning from her honeymoon in St. Thomas. In July, she was released.
According to court documents filed in August, Kordia has lost a significant amount of weight in detention. The filing noted that Kordia, a practicing Muslim, “has only had a single halal meal on a religious holiday, even though the detention center accommodates the religious dietary needs of other people in custody.” Kordia said the Quran helps her stay strong, especially the verses that remind her that hardships can be a divine test. One reads, “God does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear.” Kordia added, “Allah has chosen me for this, and I should be honored and proud.” ♦
Morocco is currently building what will be the globe’s largest football stadium in preparation for co-hosting the 2030 World Cup.
But for the demonstrators who have taken to the streets each night across the country since last Saturday, this 115,000-capacity showpiece and all the other football infrastructure in development, costing a reported $5bn (£3.7bn), are an affront – an example of a government that has got its priorities wrong.
“I am protesting because I want my country to be better. I don’t want to leave Morocco, and I don’t want to resent my country for choosing to stay,” says Hajar Belhassan, a 25-year-old communications manager from Settat, 80km (50 miles) south of Casablanca.
A group called Gen Z 212 – the number is a reference to the country’s international dialling code – has been coordinating the demonstrations through the gaming and streaming platform Discord, as well as TikTok and Instagram.
Apparently taking inspiration from Nepal’s recent Gen Z protests, the young Moroccans want the authorities to act with the same urgency and passion when it comes to addressing these issues as with hosting one of the world’s premier sporting events.
Starting on 27 September with protests across 10 cities, the crowds have been building through the week, chanting slogans such as: “No World Cup, health comes first” and “We want hospitals not football stadiums”.
The police have responded with seemingly arbitrary mass arrests and in certain places things have turned violent, leading to the death of three protesters.
Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said on Thursday that he was open to dialogue, but the leaderless movement has vowed to keep going until there is concrete change.
A list of their demands has been shared on social media. They include:
Free and quality education for all
Accessible public healthcare for everyone
Decent and affordable housing
Lower prices and subsidise basic goods
Improve wages and pensions
Provide job opportunities for youth and reduce unemployment
Adopt English as the second language instead of French (after Arabic)
Anger had been growing, but what galvanised the movement was the death over a number of days in mid-September of eight women in a maternity ward of a hospital in the southern city of Agadir. There were some reports that the deaths could have been prevented if there had been better care, proper equipment and enough medical staff.
In 2023, it was estimated that there were 7.8 doctors per 10,000 Moroccans, way below the World Health Organization recommendation of 23 per 10,000.
Having read about the protests on social media and inspired by a friend, Ms Belhassan decided to join on Monday.
The day before, that friend had been sending her videos from a demonstration in Casablanca that she was taking part in and Ms Belhassan was immediately uploading them onto her social media accounts.
Hundreds of people have been arrested [AFP via Getty Images]
Then, her friend called to say her brother had been arrested. He was not released until the early hours of the following morning. This, Ms Belhassan says, is what pushed her to go out on to the streets.
“We are making reasonable, basic demands. Health and education are necessities that should already be prioritised,” she tells the BBC in a passionate voice.
“It breaks my heart to see young, educated and peaceful people faced with arbitrary arrests.”
When Ms Belhassan went out she noticed that the police were trying to stop people gathering and were making arrests.
She says she was scared of making eye contact with officers in case she attracted their attention.
“I was afraid for my safety but I still went out,” she says.
On Wednesday, interior ministry spokesman Rachid El Khalfi said that 409 people had been detained up to that point.
He also announced in a press release that 260 police officers and 20 protesters had been injured and 40 police vehicles and 20 private cars were torched in violent clashes.
Twenty-three-year-old Hakim (not his real name) was one of those arrested.
He says he went out onto the streets of Casablanca to protest peacefully but ended up in a police cell with around 40 people.
“This government has been abusing their power too much,” Hakim says. “My father had a stroke a little while ago. If we didn’t have some savings to get him treated in a private hospital he would’ve died. What am I gaining from a country that is not providing healthcare for my ageing parents or educating me?”
He describes the state-funded education system as being “far behind” what is available in the private sector.
“We deserve a dignified life,” says Hakim. “We want to host the Fifa World Cup, but we want to do that with our heads up high, not while hiding behind a façade.”
The protest organisers have distanced themselves from the violence [AFP via Getty Images]
The police response has been heavily criticised by several Moroccan human rights organisations, protesters and the opposition.
The Gen Z 212 protests are not the first time that young Moroccans have taken to the streets.
Many commenters online have been drawing parallels with the country’s violent 1981 riots, where those who died became known as the Bread Martyrs as they were protesting against the soaring price of basic foods. A 2004 commission appointed by the king to investigate the country’s past human rights abuses verified 114 deaths but did not disclose how exactly they died. Reparations were then made to victims of human rights abuses and families of deceased ones.
The country has seen other youth-led movements, notably in 2011 and 2016.
The events of 2011 were part of the larger Arab Spring and led to reform of the constitution through a national referendum called by King Mohamed VI.
For the first time in Moroccan history, the monarch strengthened the role of the government by ceding executive power to the prime minister and parliament. The king remains the legitimate head of state, military and religious affairs, holding the power to appoint and remove ministers if necessary.
What makes Gen Z 212 different is that those demonstrating say they are not tied to a political party and do not appear to have a formal structure.
“We are not a political movement. We have no leader,” Ms Belhassan says.
“Maybe that’s why the police were arresting people, and why the government kept silent – because, in their eyes, we didn’t follow the traditional path of organisations and political parties.”
But there is some disquiet about the violence.
On the night of 1 October, three protesters died in the town of Lqliaa after people attempted to storm a police station. The local authorities said security forces opened fire after protesters tried to start a fire and steal weapons from the station, then subsequently released supporting CCTV footage to disprove emerging false narratives online.
Protesters have condemned the rioting and looting that have happened in certain areas and have organised clean-up groups. They have also repeatedly called for peace and dialogue, but it seems they are not convinced by the prime minister’s apparent willingness to talk.
On Friday, calls began to emerge for the king to dissolve the government. That may be a step too far, but the protesters do not seem to be in the mood to pull back.
Looking ahead to 2030, protester Ms Belhassan says that “of course” Moroccans are “excited to host the World Cup”.
“We love football, it is in our blood. But we are missing the foundations. Sure, let’s build stadiums, but let’s also build our education and health systems. Let’s take care of our people.”
More about Gen Z protests around the world:
[Getty Images/BBC]
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
As federal agents hurled tear gas and pepper spray through the night sky at protesters outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility in Broadview, the Rev. Quincy Worthington threw his arms out and used his body to shield those around him. Breathing through his own gas mask, the north suburban Presbyterian minister, who was wearing a clerical collar, hugged whoever he could and dragged them away from the fray.
His forearms burning from the pepper spray bullets, Worthington secured medical help, located water and, for the most part, listened to those protesting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the area.
“People just need to know that somebody’s there for them,” he said.
With escalating federal immigration enforcement operations across Chicago and its suburbs, and President Donald Trump’s threats of sending the National Guard to quell crime, tension and fear have gripped those opposed to his administration and its “Operation Midway Blitz,” which officials say has resulted in more than 550 immigration arrests in the Chicago area this month.
Trump’s actions have prompted everyday citizens to confront immigration agents during arrests, activists to hold weekly news conferences and dozens of demonstrations and rallies to spring up on street corners and plazas, with the protest outside the ICE Broadview facility a flashpoint in a weekly standoff against federal agents, who fired baton rounds and tear gas at protesters for the third Friday in a row last week.
Faith leaders are on the front lines with demonstrators. They are not only attending rallies and protests, they’re providing resources and offering safe spaces for people to gather, worship and counsel one another — that support felt nowhere more so than in the Latino community, which has borne the brunt of Trump’s enforcement operations.
‘Missionaries of hope’
The Rev. Carmelo Mendez walked shoulder to shoulder with congregants Wednesday night in a procession for migrants through the city. For nearly 3 miles, Mendez — pastor of St. Oscar Romero Catholic Church — and about 50 mostly Latino parishioners strode along narrow sidewalks and through quiet street corners as they made their way from St. Michael the Archangel Church in Back of the Yards to St. Rita of Cascia in Chicago Lawn.
Each step, Mendez said as he walked, moved them closer toward their goal: hope.
“(Our) main role is just to accompany them,” he said. “Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do to change their status. But we give them support. … As a pastor, as a shepherd, that’s (the message I’d) really like to convey.”
Around him, congregants sang hymns, their voices playing over the hum of cars driving by and the crunch of gravel beneath sneakers. Some parishioners clutched rosary beads, reciting prayers in low tones to themselves.
Jaqueline Estrada, from left, her mother, Angelica Perez, and father, David Estrada, kneel while praying for migrants at Mary Mother of Mercy Parish in the West Lawn neighborhood as part of an observance of National Migration Week by the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sept. 24, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
People walk in a procession for migrants from St. Oscar Romero in the New City neighborhood to St. Rita of Cascia in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood as part of an observance of National Migration Week by the Archdiocese of Chicago on Sept. 24, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
People pray at St. Rita of Cascia in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood after walking in a procession for migrants from St. Oscar Romero in the New City neighborhood during an observance of National Migration Week by the Archdiocese of Chicago on Sept. 24, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
People walk in a procession for migrants from St. Oscar Romero in the New City neighborhood to St. Rita of Cascia in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood as part of an observance of National Migration Week by the Archdiocese of Chicago on Sept. 24, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
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Jaqueline Estrada, from left, her mother, Angelica Perez, and father, David Estrada, kneel while praying for migrants at Mary Mother of Mercy Parish in the West Lawn neighborhood as part of an observance of National Migration Week by the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sept. 24, 2025. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Jose Trejo walked arm in arm with his mother and father. Together, they teetered between optimism and unease.
“As you might see, the majority of the people here are Hispanic. … So I feel like a lot of us are walking with hope to continue moving forward but also with a little bit of fear,” the 28-year-old Back of the Yards resident said. But making the trek with his family — and carrying on a religious tradition despite the anxieties — is empowering, he said.
Over the past few weeks, Jacqueline Ramirez has leaned on her faith. Ramirez, who just started her freshman year at DePaul University, took part in the procession with her mom. She has always considered herself close to God, the 18-year-old said, but especially at this time, she’s relied on “having that belief that nothing bad is going to happen and just praying for my people.”
Ramirez said she was thankful for the chance to be with her community in a different way. For Mendez, he said it was humbling and an honor to be there.
After all, he’s an immigrant himself.
The Wednesday procession was part of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s observance of National Migrant Week — which the U.S. Catholic Church has celebrated for 45 years — that culminates Sunday with a 5:15 p.m. Mass in nine languages at Holy Name Cathedral downtown.
The archdiocese’s immigration ministry and parishes have been offering services like Mass, rosary prayer and holy hour, and free resources like legal immigration consultations, as well as labor rights, mental health and “Know Your Rights” workshops.
The weeklong celebration events have shared the theme of the Vatican’s upcoming World Day of Migrants and Refugees, “Migrants, missionaries of hope,” which Chicago’s own Pope Leo XIV says reflects “their courage and tenacity” that “bear heroic testimony” to their faith.
“Our migrant brothers and sisters are not strangers; they are family in Christ,” said Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, in a Monday news release highlighting National Migrant Week. “They enrich our Church and serve as a reminder that the gospel knows no borders and that God’s love is for all people.”
Bishop Tim O’Malley of the archdiocese, based in Lake County and pastor at Most Blessed Trinity Parish in Waukegan, said he still writes letters in support of community members seeking residency or citizenship, and the parish continues offering a food pantry for groceries and hot meals at their soup kitchen every week, as well as counseling to spiritually “walk with them.”
He has been at the parish since 2018, he said. “I have not seen so much concern over immigration issues until now,” he added, from U.S. citizens and undocumented migrants alike.
On Sept. 20, a morning after federal agents violently clashed with protesters in Broadview, hundreds marched from downtown North Chicago to the entrance of the Naval Station Great Lakes base, which the Trump administration asked for support on immigration operations.
Representatives from seven congregations of multiple faiths — including the rabbi of a Reform Jewish synagogue, a Catholic priest from Chicago, and reverends of a suburban Unitarian Church and a Presbyterian Church — offered prayers outside the station.
Rabbi Ike Serotta of Makom Solel Lakeside in Highland Park said a vast majority of Americans came to the United States seeking refuge in some form, and he sees those being arrested as refugees, like members of his family once were.
“My ancestors were refugees,” Serotta said. “Unfortunately, some did not come soon enough and were killed in the Holocaust. The people I encounter are seeking asylum. They are going through the legal process.”
Rabbi Ike Serotta, of Makom Solel Lakeside in Highland Park, blows a shofar during a peaceful protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and federal actions against immigrants at Great Lakes Naval Station on Sept. 20, 2025. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
Being present
At a peaceful rally in suburban Melrose Park earlier this month, Roberto Moreno, pastor of the First United Methodist Church in nearby Franklin Park — where an ICE agent fatally shot an undocumented father, Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, after a traffic stop Sept. 12 — carried a sign with a big red heart and the words “No human being is illegal.” A child had drawn cherubs holding ribbons asking for “Más amor” — more love.
“There has been a rush of fear over the whole community,” Moreno told the Tribune in Spanish. There are fewer congregants in attendance, he said, as residents “feel a lot of dread about simply going outside.”
Moreno came to the United States in 2007 from a small town near Comayagua in Honduras, fleeing cartel violence after one of his brothers was murdered. Like many immigrants, he said, he crossed the southern border. It then took him years to go through the long process of obtaining documents.
“I’ve faced the same challenges: the language, the culture — all those challenges fellow migrants experience and live,” he said. “Eso lo conozco en carne propia. I know that in my own flesh.”
After a vigil following Villegas-Gonzalez’s death, Moreno heard a knock on the church’s door, followed by footsteps. He poked his head out from his office to welcome the visitor. It was one of the schoolteachers who taught Villegas-Gonzalez’s son.
She started crying, he recalled.
“Thanks for coming out,” Moreno said the elderly teacher told him. “I came here to this church because I was at the vigil, and I left feeling so affected because I breathed in love, I breathed in hope, I breathed in the grace of God. Now the teachers at school want to offer our help to your church, to support you in everything you’re doing.”
Roberto Moreno, pastor at Franklin Park United Methodist Church, marches during a walk protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement organized by P.A.S.O West Suburban Action Project and other community organizations, Sept. 16, 2025, in Melrose Park. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
The suburban United Methodist Church is part of the area’s rapid response team, which deploys when there are sightings of federal immigration operations to be present and support the people being affected. Some congregants in the church are also helping families by taking their children to and from school.
“The only way for us to be the church of Christ, in these times, is letting the world know that we are here,” Moreno said. “I firmly believe that the church and faith leaders today, more than ever, have to be present where there is a need.”
Earlier this month, on a Monday morning, calls for “faith over fear” echoed across Daley Plaza as some 50 people gathered to protest heightened immigration operations in a rally led by leaders from the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, or IMAN, New Life Centers and Live Free Illinois. Other Chicago clergy and religious figures spoke to the crowd that day, including the Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina Church in Auburn Gresham.
Tariq El-Amin, a resident imam at the Masjid Al Taqwa mosque on Chicago’s Southeast Side, spoke at the Sept. 8 rally downtown.
“We’re not going to be overwhelmed by what we see, what we think to be overwhelming odds,” El-Amin said. “We’ll remind ourselves that we’re not alone.”
Their presence is powerful, says Jessica Darrow.
For the past month, Darrow, a professor at the University of Chicago who lives in Logan Square, has traveled to Broadview to protest. Darrow, 54, considers herself a longtime activist, between advocating in the pro-immigrant space to campus organizing. But nothing could have prepared her for “what it would be like to come face to face with these ICE agents,” she said.
She’s been grateful, though, to have faith leaders beside her.
“To see clergy with their collars, to see rabbis coming dressed in identifiable clothing just so that the people around them can have courage and feel their support and love … I’ve just found that to be incredibly moving,” she said. “And brave.”
Ana Nikolic has been a consistent presence outside Broadview, not to protest, but to support families with loved ones detained inside the facility.
An independent chaplain for a decade now, Nikolic’s mission, she said, is just to help people. These days, that has entailed knocking on the doors of the detention facility seeking insight for families of detainees, she said.
But it has also involved advocating for peace as protests persist outside the building. Heightened tensions, Nikolic says, have made it more difficult to work with federal agents and get loved ones the information they need.
“We’re pretty much the bridge (connecting) them,” she said.
Worthington, the Presbyterian minister who has tried to shield protesters, said what he has seen in Broadview has been both devastating and heartbreaking. But he’s tried to stand his ground as a calming presence through the disquiet.
A few years ago, Worthington was part of a group of ministers that traveled to Texas and Mexico to see how U.S. immigration policies were being implemented in real-time. Since then, and since he’s taken on a ministry in the north suburbs’ large immigrant community, he’s developed an intimate understanding of “what (their) everyday life looks like and the struggles they go through.”
Through the latest immigration crackdown, he’s spent a lot of time praying, he said, and looking for guidance.
“What is the right response?” he said. “Where do I need to be?”
Chicago Tribune’s Cam’ron Hardy and Lake County News-Sun freelancer Steve Sadin contributed.
Clashes have erupted between demonstrators and police as thousands protested in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, to demand justice over the torture and killing of two young women and a teenager, which was livestreamed on social media by a purported drug gang.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets on Saturday to denounce the killings that shocked Argentinians after it was revealed that the murders were perpetrated live on the Instagram platform and watched by 45 members of a private account, officials said.
The bodies of Morena Verdi and Brenda del Castillo, cousins aged 20, and 15-year-old Lara Gutierrez were found buried on Wednesday in the yard of a house in a southern suburb of Buenos Aires, five days after they went missing.
Investigators said the victims, thinking they were going to a party, were lured into a van on September 19, allegedly as part of a plan to “punish” them for violating gang code and to serve as a warning to others.
Police discovered a video of the triple murder after a suspect in the disappearance of the three revealed it under questioning, according to Javier Alonso, the security minister for the Buenos Aires province.
In the footage, a gang leader is heard saying: “This is what happens to those who steal drugs from me.”
Argentinian media reported that the torturers cut off fingers, pulled out nails, and beat and suffocated the victims.
While most of the protesters who took part in the demonstration on Saturday marched peacefully, some confronted police who responded by aggressively pushing them away using their batons and shields, according to video clips and images posted by the La Izquierda Diario online news site.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Buenos Aires on Saturday to denounce the killings of Morena Verdi and Brenda del Castillo, cousins aged 20, and 15-year-old Lara Gutierrez, by a suspected drug gang [Luis Robayo/AFP]
As they marched towards the Argentinian parliament with thousands of supporters, family members of the victims held a banner with their names, “Lara, Brenda, Morena”, and placards with the images of the three.
“Women must be protected more than ever,” Brenda’s father, Leonel del Castillo, was quoted by the AFP news agency as telling reporters at the protest. He had earlier said he had not been able to identify his daughter’s body due to the torture she had endured.
“It was a narco-femicide!” read a sign at the protest. Another declared, “Our lives are not disposable!”
The protesters also banged on drums as they marched and denounced the “inaction” of the administration of President Javier Milei against what they called the growing “narco” influence in the country.
An image posted on social media showed protesters burning an image of Milei and other political allies of his administration.
Antonio del Castillo, the grandfather of the slain 20-year-old cousins, was in tears, calling his granddaughters’ killers “bloodthirsty”.
“You wouldn’t do what they did to them to an animal,” he said.
On Friday, Minister of National Security Patricia Bullrich announced the arrest of a fifth suspect in the case, bringing the total to three men and two women. The fifth suspect, accused of offering logistical support in the killing by providing a vehicle involved in the crime, was arrested in the Bolivian border city of Villazon .
Authorities have also released a photograph of the alleged mastermind, a 20-year-old Peruvian, who remains at large.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has disputed that the livestream occurred on its platform, according to the AFP, citing a company spokesperson.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned amid Nepal’s worst unrest in decades, as public anger mounts over the deaths of 19 anti-corruption protesters in clashes with police on Monday.
On Tuesday, crowds set fire to parliament in the capital Kathmandu, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Government buildings and the houses of political leaders were attacked around the country.
Three more deaths were reported on Tuesday. Amid the chaos, jail officials said 900 inmates managed to escape from two prisons in Nepal’s western districts.
The demonstrations were triggered by a ban on social media platforms. It was lifted on Monday – but by then protests had swelled into a mass movement.
Nepal’s army chief issued a statement late on Tuesday accusing demonstrators of taking advantage of the current crisis by damaging, looting and setting fire to public and private property.
It said if unrest continued, “all security institutions, including the Nepal Army, are committed to taking control of the situation,” effective from 22:00 local time (16:15 GMT; 17:15 BST), without detailing what this might entail.
Fire and smoke rise from the Singha Durbar palace, which houses government and parliament buildings, as protesters stormed the premises in Kathmandu [EPA/Shutterstock]
While the prime minister has stepped down, it’s not clear who will replace him – or what happens next, with seemingly no-one in charge. Some leaders, including ministers, have reportedly taken refuge with the security forces.
So far, the protesters have not spelt out their demands apart from rallying under the broader anti-corruption call. The protests appear spontaneous, with no organised leadership.
Inside parliament, there were jubilant scenes as hundreds of protesters danced and chanted slogans around a fire at the entrance to the building, many holding Nepal’s flag.
Some entered inside the building, where all the windows have been smashed. Graffiti and anti-government messages have been spray painted on the exterior.
Kathmandu resident Muna Shreshta, 20, was among the large crowd outside parliament.
Corruption has been a long-term issue, she told the BBC, adding that it is “high time our nation, our prime minister, and anyone in power changes, because we need to change”.
“It has happened now and we are more than happy to witness this and fight for this. I hope this change will bring something that is positive to us.”
Ms Shreshta thinks taxes paid by working people need to be used in ways that will help the country grow.
Last week, Nepal’s government ordered authorities to block 26 social media platforms for not complying with a deadline to register.
Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook have millions of users in Nepal, who rely on them for entertainment, news and business.
The government justified its ban in the name of tackling fake news, hate speech and online fraud.
But young people criticised the move as an attack on free speech.
Although the ban was hastily lifted on Monday night, the protests had already gained unstoppable momentum, targeting the political elite and plunging the nation into chaos.
A government minister said they lifted the ban after an emergency meeting late on Monday night to “address the demands of Gen Z”.
In the weeks before the ban, a “nepo kid” campaign, spotlighting the lavish lifestyles of politicians’ children and allegations of corruption, had taken off on social media.
Thousands of young people first attempted to storm the parliament building on Monday. Several districts were put under curfew. Most of the deaths occurred around parliament and government buildings on that day.
On Tuesday, protests continued unabated. A crowd in Kathmandu torched the headquarters of the Nepali Congress Party, which is part of the governing coalition, and the house of its leader, Sher Bahadur Deuba.
The house of KP Oli – a 73-year-old four-time prime minister who leads the Communist Party – was also set on fire.
He said he had resigned to pave the way for a constitutional solution to the current crisis.
“In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution,” Oli wrote in his letter to President Ramchandra Paudel.
An aide to Paudel told Reuters news agency the president had accepted the resignation and begun the “process and discussions for a new leader”.
At least 13 people have been killed and dozens are injured in Nepal after demonstrations against a government social media ban led to clashes between protesters and security forces.
Thousands heeded a call by demonstrators describing themselves as Generation Z to gather near the parliament building in Kathmandu over the decision to ban platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube.
Nepal’s Minister for Communication Prithvi Subba told the BBC police had had to use force – which included water cannons, batons and firing rubber bullets.
The government has said social media platforms need to be regulated to tackle fake news, hate speech and online fraud.
But popular platforms such as Instagram have millions of users in Nepal, who rely on them for entertainment, news and business.
Demonstrators carried placards with slogans including “enough is enough” and “end to corruption”.
Some said they were protesting against what they called the authoritarian attitude of the government.
As the rally moved into a restricted area close to parliament, some protesters climbed over the wall.
“Tear gas and water cannons were used after the protesters breached into the restricted area,” police spokesman Shekhar Khanal told the AFP news agency.
A Kathmandu district office spokesperson said a curfew was imposed around areas including the parliament building after protesters attempted to enter.
Last week authorities ordered the blocking of 26 social media platforms for not complying with a deadline to register with Nepal’s ministry of communication and information technology.
Since Friday, users have experienced difficulty in accessing the platforms, though some are using VPNs to get around the ban. So far, two platforms have been reactivated after registering with the ministry following the ban.
Nepal’s government has argued it is not banning social media but trying to bring them in line with Nepali law.
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Three people arrested late Sunday evening for using chalk to protest the state’s removal of the Pulse rainbow crosswalk were released from jail Monday pending charges from the state attorney’s office.
Maryjane East, 25, Donavon Short, 26, and Zane Aparicio, 39, were arrested and booked by Florida Highway Patrol on Sunday night outside the Pulse memorial in Orlando and charged with defacing a traffic device — a statute that typically covers electronic traffic devices such as lights and signals.
The arrests come after Orestes Sebastian Suarez was arrested Friday night by Florida Highway Patrol on the same charge. Suarez was also released shortly after he was booked after the judge found no probable cause he committed the crime.
However, a judge on Monday did find probable cause for the three latest arrests. However, there were no charges pending after they were released on their own recognizance, and any further charges would need to be brought forward by Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell.
Blake Simons, the attorney representing both Suarez and the three arrested late Sunday night, said FHP’s arrest report from Sunday was much more detailed and included allegations of damage of over $1,000.
“I would argue water-soluble chalk that washes away while you’re being arrested doesn’t amount to over $1,000 worth of damage,” Simons said after appearing before the judge Monday morning.
FHP and Orlando Police Department have been stationed at the Dunkin Donuts next to the Pulse memorial for over a week, telling protesters they won’t be arrested if they are not impeding traffic.
Protests initially erupted last month after the Florida Department of Transportation painted over the rainbow crosswalk, meant to memorialize the 49 victims of the 2016 mass shooting, in the middle of the night. Since then, the department has repainted it at least once more due to ongoing protestors coloring the crosswalk with rainbow paint and chalk.
FDOT has ordered other cities to remove rainbows and other painted designs from their roads.
DeSantis has defended the state’s actions, saying it’s not political and cited a new state law — a claim lawmakers refute — and that the designs “jeopardize both driver and pedestrian safety.”
In a statement, FDOT said it conducted a “months-long” update of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices with input from representatives of state and local governments. The update included a prohibition on “non-uniform” traffic control devices and explicitly “prohibits the application of pavement or surface art on travel lanes, paved shoulders, intersections, crosswalks or sidewalks.”
The four arrested protesters are part of a larger, coordinated effort to maintain protests against the state’s removal of the rainbow crosswalk. On Reddit’s Orlando forum, one person — who said they had been at the crosswalk all of last week — claimed the three intended to be arrested for the cameras.
“Do not worry, we planned this for live cameras to see. Now we get to see what a judge says about them violating our first amendment rights, and we hope it leads to us being allowed to continue the chalk,” wrote Reed, who asked to only be identified by their first name.
Following the arrest of the three protesters at the Pulse memorial Sunday night, the remaining protesters marched to Orlando City Hall downtown where they wrote messages in chalk.
“You can’t erase us,” one chalk message read.
“We’re just getting started,” read another.
Protesters returned to city hall Monday afternoon.
Large numbers of New York City police officers began entering the Columbia University late Tuesday as dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters remained on the campus.Shortly before officers entered the campus, the New York Police Department received a notice from Columbia authorizing officers to take action, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.After entering the campus, a contingent of police officers approached Hamilton Hall, the administration building that students began occupying in the morning.Students had defiantly set up tents again after police cleared an encampment at the university on April 18 and arrested more than 100 people. The students had been protesting on the Manhattan campus since the previous day, opposing Israeli military action in Gaza and demanding the school divest from companies they claim are profiting from the conflict.Protests have spread to campuses from California to Massachusetts as May commencement ceremonies near, putting added pressure on schools to clear protesters.More than 1,000 protesters have been arrested over the last two weeks on campuses in states including Texas, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico, Connecticut, Louisiana, California and New Jersey, some after violent clashes with police in riot gear.“Walk away from this situation now and continue your advocacy through other means,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams advised the Columbia protesters on Tuesday afternoon. “This must end now.”The White House condemned the standoffs at Columbia and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, where protesters had occupied two buildings until officers with batons intervened overnight and arrested 25 people. Officials estimated the northern California campus’ total damage to be upwards of $1 million.President Joe Biden believes students occupying an academic building is “absolutely the wrong approach,” and “not an example of peaceful protest,” said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.Other colleges have sought to negotiate agreements with the demonstrators in the hopes of having peaceful commencement ceremonies. As cease-fire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it wasn’t clear whether those talks would inspire an easing of protests.Northwestern University notched a rare win when officials said they reached a compromise with students and faculty who represent the majority of protesters on its campus near Chicago to allow peaceful demonstrations through the end of spring classes.The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israel’s critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war. On Columbia’s campus, protesters locked arms early Tuesday and carried furniture and metal barricades to Hamilton Hall, among several buildings that were occupied during a 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protest. Demonstrators called the building Hind’s Hall, honoring a young girl who was killed in Gaza under Israeli fire.Despite the chaos overnight, NYPD brass said officers wouldn’t enter Columbia’s campus without the college administration’s request or an imminent emergency.The takeover came hours after protesters had shrugged off an earlier ultimatum to abandon a tent encampment Monday or be suspended — restricted from all academic and recreational spaces, allowed only to enter their residences, and, for seniors, ineligible to graduate. Mahmoud Khalil, a lead negotiator before talks with the administration broke down over the weekend, was among the suspended students. His suspension letter — which he shared with The Associated Press — said he had refused to leave the encampment after prior warnings, but Khalil said he had abided by the university’s demand to vacate the encampment on the campus lawn by the Monday afternoon deadline.Columbia spokesperson Ben Chang said in a statement that anyone occupying Hamilton Hall risked being expelled from the university for escalating the protest “to an untenable situation — vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances.”Occupying protesters have insisted they will remain in Hamilton Hall until the university agrees to three demands — divestment, financial transparency and amnesty.The Columbia University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors said faculty’s efforts to help defuse the situation have been repeatedly ignored by the university’s administration despite school statutes that require consultation. The group warned of potential conflict between police officers nearby and protesters on campus.“We hold University leadership responsible for the disastrous lapses of judgment that have gotten us to this point,” the chapter said in a statement late Tuesday. “The University President, her senior staff, and the Board of Trustees will bear responsibility for any injuries that may occur during any police action on our campus.” Ilana Lewkovitch, a self-described “leftist Zionist” student at Columbia, said it’s been hard to concentrate on school for weeks, amid calls for Zionists to die or leave campus. Her exams have been punctuated with chants of “say it loud, say it clear, we want Zionists out of here” in the background, she said.Lewkovitch, who identifies as Jewish and studied at Columbia’s Tel Aviv campus, said she wished the current pro-Palestinian protests were more open to people like her who criticize Israel’s war policies but believe there should be an Israeli state.Adams claimed Tuesday that the Columbia protests have been “co-opted by professional outside agitators.” The mayor didn’t provide specific evidence to back up that contention, which was disputed by protest organizers and participants.NYPD officials made similar claims about “outside agitators” during the huge, grassroots demonstrations against racial injustice that erupted across the city after the death of George Floyd in 2020. In some instances, top police officials falsely labeled peaceful marches organized by well-known neighborhood activists as the work of violent extremists. Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press journalists around the country contributed to this report, including Karen Matthews, Jim Vertuno, Hannah Schoenbaum, Sarah Brumfield, Stefanie Dazio, Christopher Weber, Carolyn Thompson, Dave Collins, Makiya Seminera, Philip Marcelo and Corey Williams.
NEW YORK —
Large numbers of New York City police officers began entering the Columbia University late Tuesday as dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters remained on the campus.
Shortly before officers entered the campus, the New York Police Department received a notice from Columbia authorizing officers to take action, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
After entering the campus, a contingent of police officers approached Hamilton Hall, the administration building that students began occupying in the morning.
Students had defiantly set up tents again after police cleared an encampment at the university on April 18 and arrested more than 100 people. The students had been protesting on the Manhattan campus since the previous day, opposing Israeli military action in Gaza and demanding the school divest from companies they claim are profiting from the conflict.
Protests have spread to campuses from California to Massachusetts as May commencement ceremonies near, putting added pressure on schools to clear protesters.
More than 1,000 protesters have been arrested over the last two weeks on campuses in states including Texas, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico, Connecticut, Louisiana, California and New Jersey, some after violent clashes with police in riot gear.
“Walk away from this situation now and continue your advocacy through other means,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams advised the Columbia protesters on Tuesday afternoon. “This must end now.”
The White House condemned the standoffs at Columbia and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, where protesters had occupied two buildings until officers with batons intervened overnight and arrested 25 people. Officials estimated the northern California campus’ total damage to be upwards of $1 million.
President Joe Biden believes students occupying an academic building is “absolutely the wrong approach,” and “not an example of peaceful protest,” said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
Other colleges have sought to negotiate agreements with the demonstrators in the hopes of having peaceful commencement ceremonies. As cease-fire negotiations appeared to gain steam, it wasn’t clear whether those talks would inspire an easing of protests.
Northwestern University notched a rare win when officials said they reached a compromise with students and faculty who represent the majority of protesters on its campus near Chicago to allow peaceful demonstrations through the end of spring classes.
The nationwide campus protests began at Columbia in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza after Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to stamp out Hamas, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry.
Israel and its supporters have branded the university protests as antisemitic, while Israel’s critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition. Although some protesters have been caught on camera making antisemitic remarks or violent threats, organizers of the protests, some of whom are Jewish, say it is a peaceful movement aimed at defending Palestinian rights and protesting the war.
On Columbia’s campus, protesters locked arms early Tuesday and carried furniture and metal barricades to Hamilton Hall, among several buildings that were occupied during a 1968 civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protest. Demonstrators called the building Hind’s Hall, honoring a young girl who was killed in Gaza under Israeli fire.
Despite the chaos overnight, NYPD brass said officers wouldn’t enter Columbia’s campus without the college administration’s request or an imminent emergency.
The takeover came hours after protesters had shrugged off an earlier ultimatum to abandon a tent encampment Monday or be suspended — restricted from all academic and recreational spaces, allowed only to enter their residences, and, for seniors, ineligible to graduate.
Mahmoud Khalil, a lead negotiator before talks with the administration broke down over the weekend, was among the suspended students. His suspension letter — which he shared with The Associated Press — said he had refused to leave the encampment after prior warnings, but Khalil said he had abided by the university’s demand to vacate the encampment on the campus lawn by the Monday afternoon deadline.
Columbia spokesperson Ben Chang said in a statement that anyone occupying Hamilton Hall risked being expelled from the university for escalating the protest “to an untenable situation — vandalizing property, breaking doors and windows, and blockading entrances.”
Occupying protesters have insisted they will remain in Hamilton Hall until the university agrees to three demands — divestment, financial transparency and amnesty.
The Columbia University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors said faculty’s efforts to help defuse the situation have been repeatedly ignored by the university’s administration despite school statutes that require consultation. The group warned of potential conflict between police officers nearby and protesters on campus.
“We hold University leadership responsible for the disastrous lapses of judgment that have gotten us to this point,” the chapter said in a statement late Tuesday. “The University President, her senior staff, and the Board of Trustees will bear responsibility for any injuries that may occur during any police action on our campus.”
Ilana Lewkovitch, a self-described “leftist Zionist” student at Columbia, said it’s been hard to concentrate on school for weeks, amid calls for Zionists to die or leave campus. Her exams have been punctuated with chants of “say it loud, say it clear, we want Zionists out of here” in the background, she said.
Lewkovitch, who identifies as Jewish and studied at Columbia’s Tel Aviv campus, said she wished the current pro-Palestinian protests were more open to people like her who criticize Israel’s war policies but believe there should be an Israeli state.
Adams claimed Tuesday that the Columbia protests have been “co-opted by professional outside agitators.” The mayor didn’t provide specific evidence to back up that contention, which was disputed by protest organizers and participants.
NYPD officials made similar claims about “outside agitators” during the huge, grassroots demonstrations against racial injustice that erupted across the city after the death of George Floyd in 2020. In some instances, top police officials falsely labeled peaceful marches organized by well-known neighborhood activists as the work of violent extremists.
Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press journalists around the country contributed to this report, including Karen Matthews, Jim Vertuno, Hannah Schoenbaum, Sarah Brumfield, Stefanie Dazio, Christopher Weber, Carolyn Thompson, Dave Collins, Makiya Seminera, Philip Marcelo and Corey Williams.
Pro-Palestinian protests by students and nonstudents at George Washington University continued for a fourth day Sunday.
Pro-Palestinian student protestors continue their encampment on the grounds of George Washington University. WTOP’s Dick Uliano reports they’re demanding the univeristy reverse its action against seven student activists.
Students protest the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University in Washington, Saturday, April 27, 2024. Protests and encampments have sprung up on college and university campuses across the country to protest the war. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)(AP/Cliff Owen)
Students protest the Israel-Hamas war at George Washington University in Washington, Saturday, April 27, 2024. Protests and encampments have sprung up on college and university campuses across the country to protest the war. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)(AP/Cliff Owen)
Pro-Palestinian protests by students and nonstudents at George Washington University continued for a fourth day on Sunday.
Dozens of tents on and in front of George Washington University’s University Yard and along H Street remain, according to The Hatchet, the GW University student newspaper.
It reported that about 200 demonstrators were on-site as of 8 p.m. Saturday.
GW University is one of a number of college campuses across the U.S. where students are calling for universities to separate themselves from any companies that are advancing Israel’s military efforts in Gaza — and in some cases from Israel itself.
More than 100 demonstrators were arrested last week at Columbia University where similar protests were held.
Moataz Salim, a GW University graduate student, told WTOP on Saturday that seven of the students in the encampment on Friday received suspensions from the university.
Rafi El-Habashi, a junior journalism major at GW University, is calling on the school to drop its case against seven students who’ve been suspended from school and barred from university grounds.
“We have no intention of leaving until our needs are met,” El-Habashi said. “We demand those charges to be dropped immediately because ultimately these are nonviolent student protesters.”
A GW University spokesperson said “the university does not comment on individual student conduct cases or ongoing conduct cases, including whether or not such a case exists.”
WTOP’s Dick Uliano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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OAKLAND — Protesters blocked an East Bay freeway early Monday, shutting it down and affecting the morning commute, the California Highway Patrol said.
According to the CHP, all lanes were blocked on northbound Interstate 880 south of 5th Street and Embarcadero were blocked. The CHP had approximately 40 officers at the scene.
It was not known immediately why the protesters were there. The CHP issued a Sig Alert for severe traffic at 6:50 a.m.
According to authorities, a U-Haul truck brought out barrels to which the protesters chained themselves. The U-Haul truck left the scene after dropping off the barrels, according to authorities.
All lanes on southbound I-880 were open but traffic was moving slowly.
Big rigs were being allowed on westbound I-580 while I-880 was blocked.
COLLEGE POINT, Queens (WABC) — Pro-Palestinian protesters swarmed the New York Times printing facility in Queens, one of the largest facilities in the nation.
Some popular newspapers will likely be delivered on a delay Thursday morning due to the commotion at the facility.
Police say that at around 1 a.m. Thursday, protestors prevented tucks from accessing the 300,000-square-foot building by blocking the roads with debris.
Many laid down in a chain, connecting to each other with tubes. They held signs that read, “Stop the presses. Free Palestine” and “Consent for genocide is manufactured here.”
This facility is responsible for printing the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Newsday, and the New York Post. There are 27 printing facilities across the country.
Law enforcement was called to clear the protesters. No arrests were made.
The trucks eventually gained access to the building.
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Source: FREEDOMNEWS TV – NATIONAL / SCOOTERCASTER YouTube
The comedian Jerry Seinfeld was berated by anti-Israel protesters as he left an event in New York City on Sunday night, finding himself being accused of being a “genocide supporter” and “Nazi scum!”
Last night in New York the hateful pro-Palestinian mob turned up to protest a Jewish woman speaking and yelled “Nazi scum” at Jerry Seinfeld. They are DISGUSTING antisemites. Seinfeld smiled and waved. He was magnificent. @bariweiss@JerrySeinfeldpic.twitter.com/PsOZrFfE46
The New York Post reported that Seinfeld was accosted as he left a Manhattan event that featured the former New York Times columnist Bari Weiss, founder of the Free Press.
“Genocide supporter, you support genocide,” one protester could be heard yelling at Seinfeld, who attempted to smile and wave as he was led into a vehicle surrounded by officers with the NYPD.
The protesters continued to scream as Seinfeld’s vehicle drove away, with one of them yelling, “F–k you, you support genocide!”
“Nazi scum!” other demonstrators shouted, according to Fox News. It should be noted that it could not be more bizarre and nonsensical that Jewish people like Seinfeld are now being referred to as “Nazis.”
Seinfeld Attends Weiss Event – Previously Targeted By Pro-Palestine Protesters
Seinfeld had just attended an event being held at the 92nd Street Y that was hosting Weiss, who was giving the community center’s annual State of the World Jewry address. Weiss has long been an outspoken supporter of Israel, which has made her a frequent target of pro-Palestinian protesters.
“Protesters were critical of Weiss, a strong supporter of Israel, and tried to connect her to the death of Palestinian professor and poet Refaat Alareer, who was killed in Gaza in December in an Israeli airstrike,” The Post reported.
Two of the protesters were arrested outside of her event last night.
This was not the first time that Seinfeld was targeted by anti-Israel protesters. Back in December, pro-Palestinian demonstrators launched a protest of Seinfeld’s stand-up comedy show outside the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse, New York, accusing him of being “complicit in genocide” over his support for Israel.
The demonstrators used this protest to call for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas as well as an end to all U.S. aid to Israel, according to The Daily Orange. They also reportedly slammed House lawmakers for passing a resolution earlier that month that declared anti-Zionism as antisemitism.
Social media users called a large pro-Palestinian protest outside Jerry Seinfeld’s stand-up comedy show in downtown Syracuse, New York, “misguided” & targeting him as an American Jew who supports Israel was antisemitic. “He’s an American you idiots! …God help us!” pic.twitter.com/CwGu24Brhe
Undeterred by this, Seinfeld visited the Gaza border community of Kibbutz Be’er days later as part of solidarity trip to Israel, according to The Times Of Israel. There, Seinfeld and his wife Jessica met with Yuval Hara, whose father was brutally murdered in the Hamas terrorist attack that took place on October 7.
Haran met with Seinfeld in the ruins of his family home, telling the comedian how much his father loved his eponymous 1990s sitcom “Seinfeld.”
“When I heard that Seinfeld was coming to the kibbutz, it really moved me,” Haran said. “He is one of the characters that my father really appreciated, and I can’t count the number of times we would sit together and watch ‘Seinfeld.’”
Seinfeld and his wife also met with other survivors of the October Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people across southern Israel and resulted in around 240 hostages being taken.
At the end of this visit, Seinfeld praised the survivors for how resilient they have been, saying that he is “proud to be an ambassador for spreading the truth throughout the world.”
Seinfeld is one of the few American celebrities who actually stays quiet about politics, but it’s clear that what’s happening in Israel transcends any kind of politics for him. We hope that he continues to rise above the anti-Israel protesters who are targeting him, and we hope that he continues to publicly stand by Israel!
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An Ivy leaguer, proud conservative millennial, history lover, writer, and lifelong New Englander, James specializes in the intersection of… More about James Conrad
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a long history of seeing Russia everywhere when it comes to things she doesn’t like.
Now she says that protesters demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza might be “connected to Russia” and are spreading “Putin’s message.”
To solve the issue, she says she’s going to ask the FBI to investigate. You can’t make this stuff up.
Asked about protests calling for ceasefire in Gaza, @SpeakerPelosi tells @DanaBashCNN: calling for ceasefire is “Putin’s message”. Some may be organic, “some are connected to Russia… financing should be investigated. I want to ask the FBI to investigate that”.
Democrats just can’t let this Russia stuff go. No matter where they look, they see Putin and sound more deranged than the parody characters in Dr. Strangelove.
NBC News reports, “Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Sunday said she hopes to ask the FBI to investigate protesters calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and suggested that some of the antiwar demonstrations are linked to Russia.”
Pelosi said on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that she believes that some of the protesters are “connected” to Russia and its president Vladimir Putin.
Seriously, is there anyone out there who isn’t collecting rubles from Putin? Where’s my free money?
On CNN, Nancy Pelosi says that some protestors calling for a Gaza ceasefire and ending arms transfers to Ukraine are telling “Mister Putin’s message.”
“For them to call for a cease-fire is Mr. Putin’s message, Mr. Putin’s message. Make no mistake. This is directly connected to what he would like to see. Same thing with Ukraine. It’s about Putin’s message,” Pelosi said.
“I think some of these — some of these protesters are spontaneous and organic and sincere. Some, I think, are connected to Russia, and I say that having looked at this for a long time now,” she continued.
Pressed on whether she thinks some of the protesters are Russian plants, Pelosi said she would like to have the FBI look into the matter.
“I didn’t say they’re plants. I think some financing should be investigated,” she said. “And I want to ask the FBI to investigate that.”
More than two thirds of Americans support a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza in a November Reuters poll, a number that has continued to increase according to the data.
That was two months ago. Does Pelosi legitimately think these people are just hooked up with Putin? Or maybe…
Maybe they don’t like seeing so many people dying. Israel had every right to retaliate for the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7th, but with thousands of Palestinians now dead and a large degree of them women and children, at some point is it rational to call for an end to the killing?
Donald Trump, who in contrast to Joe Biden was responsible for several peace treaties between Israel and historically hostile Arab neighbors, has certainly said this.
But we already know Pelosi thinks he’s in bed with Russia.
Nancy Pelosi is already an absurd politician in many ways.
And here’s a brand new one.
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is a professional writer and editor with over 15 years of experience in conservative media and Republican politics. He… More about John Hanson
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