Chants of ‘death to America!’ and ‘death to Israel!’ rang out during a protest held in a Michigan city recently dubbed the “Jihad Capital” of the United States by the Wall Street Journal.
Protesters gathered in the city on Sunday to mark Al-Quds Day, an international day to express support for Palestine and oppose the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.
The protest came less than a week after seven World Central Kitchen aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, sparking global outrage and condemnation.
A video shared by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) shows Tarek Bazzi, a local activist, delivering remarks at a podium while chanting ‘death to America!’ background sound.
“It’s not just Genocide Joe that has to go,” Bazzi said, referring to President Biden.
‘It is the entire system that has to disappear. Any system that allows and supports such atrocities and mischief to occur, such a system does not deserve to exist on God’s Earth.’
Protesters gathered in Dearborn on Sunday to mark Al-Quds Day, an international day to express support for Palestine.
Activist Tarek Bazzi spoke at a podium while chants of ‘death to America’ and ‘death to Israel’ sounded in the background.
Bazzi then turned his attention to Israel.
“So when these fools ask us if Israel has a right to exist… the ‘death to Israel’ chant has become the most logical chant shouted around the world today,” he said.
Then the audience members repeated the song.
Bazzi explained that the protests have become “very un-American” because “it is the United States government that provides the funds for all the atrocities.”
As an example, he pointed to the Israeli attack on Gaza, which has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began in earnest in October 2023.
For at least two decades, demonstrations have been held in Dearborn to commemorate Al-Quds Day, which coincides with the last day of Ramadan.
But the city attracted attention earlier this year after MEMRI CEO Steven Stalinsky called it “the capital of American jihad” in a now-infamous op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.
“Almost immediately after… and long before Israel began its ground offensive in Gaza,” Stalinisky wrote, “people were celebrating the horrific events of that day at pro-Hamas rallies and marches throughout Dearborn.”
He alleged that religious leaders had called for the extermination of the Israeli people and pointed to a headline describing a pro-Palestinian event that read: “Michigan Rally Applauds Hamas Attack.”
Dearborn was deemed “America’s jihad capital” by political commentator Steven Stalinisky in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud harshly criticized Stalinisky for his comments, stating that they had contributed to increased anti-Muslim sentiment directed at the city.
Stalinsky’s comments quickly sparked backlash, with local leaders and activists claiming he was putting innocent civilians at risk.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud posted a message on X, formerly Twitter, stating that the article had contributed to a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment directed at the city.
“Effective immediately: Dearborn Police will increase their presence at all places of worship and major infrastructure points,” he wrote.
‘This is a direct result of the inflammatory WSJ op-ed that has led to an alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric online directed at the city of Dearborn. Keep alert.’
Stalinisky defended his comments in an interview with CBSDetroitinsisting that the article was not intended to be “a broad swipe at every person in Dearborn.”
He stated that the protests, “both in Dearborn and across the country,” had become “more aggressive,” citing the presence of “pro-Hamas people” at the demonstrations.
‘This should be an alarm for national security (and) the fight against terrorism. Nobody is doing that,” Stalinisky continued. “That’s the gist of the article.”
But he appeared to stand by his original comments in an interview with Fox News Digital while calling the city a “hotbed of hate.”
‘You can see rallies and sermons in support of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran,’ said Stalinisky, a MEMRI board member.
The press monitoring group was co-founded by a former Israeli intelligence officer and bills itself as an “independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit” organization.