Community protests arrest of Palestinian student activist
LOUISVILLE ー Around 50 people gathered in front of the Baxter Avenue Starbucks on March 16 to protest the detention of University of Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil.
The rally was spearheaded by the Louisville chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), whose members spoke at the event and led the crowd in chants. One of the chants yelled together was, “From Louisville to Palestine, occupation is a crime,” highlighting the connection between the local and global community.
Khalil, a Palestinian and student activist protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza, was arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in early March.
“I think that Mahmoud’s arrest really speaks to like the larger issues that we're facing with free speech, and particularly free speech for students on college campuses,” PSL member Holly Gehlhausen said.
Donald Trump stated that Khalil was “proudly apprehended” by ICE and is the “first arrest of many to come,” in a March 10 Truth Social post, a platform owned by Trump.
Khalil has indeed been the first of many individuals who have been detained by the United States under Donald Trump’s latest decrees.
Postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University, Badar Khan Suri, was detained and set to be deported, despite an active and valid visa, for “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media,” as posted on X by the assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin.
The U.S. government’s website does not provide a clear definition of what the U.S. considers to be “Hamas propaganda” as opposed to criticism of Israel or support for Palestine.
Scientists, professors, and students who are advocating for Palestine or against the Trump administration have all been targeted by these orders from Trump.
A French science researcher was denied entry to the U.S. on March 20 for expressing a personal opinion of the Trump administration’s research policy, as reported by Reuters.
Despite the threats and detainments, students continue showing up to protest and oppose the current administration’s statements and actions.
In Louisville, students and other concerned community members have attended several University of Louisville Student Governmental Association (SGA) meetings to demand the university’s divestment from Israel.
The resolution was brought to the board by Louisville Students for Justice in Palestine (LSJP), calling for an end to partnerships with companies supplying weaponry to Israel (such as Honeywell, The Boeing Company and Remington Arms) and investments in Israeli companies.
The board voted against LSJP’s resolution on March 27. LSJP intends to continue the fight towards divestment despite the board’s decision. LSJP is holding a town hall meeting to discuss the next steps on April 6.
“Students are the backbone, usually, of community. We often take our direction from where the students are at because they are so connected to the issues at hand,” Gehlhausen said, “It’s really essential that we all show up for every single intersection of marginalization and oppression that’s happening, because ultimately, we believe that it’s all connected.”
