Anti-Israel Protesters Chant ‘Death to America,’ ‘Death to Israel’ at Michigan Rally

Anti-Israel protesters chanted both “death to Israel” and “death to America” at a rally in Michigan on Friday.

The demonstration, which took place in the town of Dearborn — a suburb of Detroit that is home to the largest Muslim population in the U.S. — was held to mark al Quds day, an international day of support for Palestinians and opposition to Israel.

The rally featured rounds of chants led by local activist Tarek Bazzi and local imam Usama Abdulghani.

Bazzi prompted the crowd to break into calls for “death to America” after speaking about former Iranian ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the beginning of al-Quds Day, a celebration on the last Friday of Ramadan during which some profess their support for a “free Palestine” and opposition to Israel’s existence.

“We have been asked in the past: ‘Why are our priests on the international al-Quds Day are [sic] so anti-America? Why don’t we just focus more on Israel and not talk so much about America?’ Gaza has shown the entire world why these protests are so anti-America, because it’s the United States government that provides the funds for all of the atrocities,” Bazzi said before the audience responded with the “death to America” chants. “Imam Kohomeini, who declared international al-Quds Day, this is why he would say to pour all of your chants and all of your shots upon the head of America.”

Speaking of Israel, Bazzi said the Jewish state “does not deserve to exist.”

“When these fools as us if Israel has the right to exist,” he said, “the chant ‘death to Israel’ has become the most logical chant across the world today.”

Abdulghani, the imam who followed Bazzi’s remarks, compared Israel with some of the most infamous entities in world history.

“Israel before this, brothers and sisters, was a sacred cow. Nobody could criticize Israel. Everybody was terrified of being antiseptic. Everybody was afraid of them, but now the people of conscience very openly will criticize Israel.” Abdulghani said. “They recognize Israel for what it is. Israel is ISIS, they are Nazis, they are fascists, they are racists. The people of the world now know this.”

Dearborn’s Arab residents have made their opposition to Israel known in recent months, with many voting “uncommitted” in the Democratic presidential primary to protest President Biden’s support for the Jewish state.

Middle East Media Research Institute executive director Steven Stalinski dubbed the city “America’s jihad capital” in a February op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.

“Almost immediately after” the Hamas attack of October 7, “people were celebrating the horrific events of that day in pro-Hamas rallies and marches throughout Dearborn,” Stalinsky wrote.