Desmond Marrero

Overview

Desmond Marrero was arrested on multiple occasions and reportedly charged with attempted robbery and assault. Marrero also participated in a violent counterprotest against a pro-Israel rally in Times Square, New York in May 2021.

Marrero has also expressed hatred of Israel, America and the police on social media.

Marrero has engaged in activism with Within Our Lifetime (WOL), an anti-Israel activist group in New York City founded by Nerdeen Kiswani. Until February 2018, WOL was known as the New York City branch of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), going by the name NYC SJP.

WOL’s “Points of Unity” states: “We defend the right of Palestinians as colonized people to resist the zionist occupation by any means necessary.”

As of February 2023, Marrero indicated on Facebook and Instagram that he was a musician.

As of the same date, Marrero indicated on Soundcloud that was located in the Bronx, New York. He used the handle “@desmoneygz-904l” on Soundcloud and “@DesmoneyGzz” on Facebook.

Marrero also used the handle “@desmoneygz_the_revolutionary” on one Instagram account and “@desmoneygz_” on the other. Marrero also used the handle “@desmoneygzzactivist.life” on TikTok.

For more information, see the Canary Mission page Within Our Lifetime: The NYC Org Inciting Its Activists To Violence.

Criminal Record

October 24, 2020: Central Park, New York

Marrero was reportedly arrested for assaulting and trying to rob a dog walker before he surrendered himself to the police three weeks later. Marrero was reportedly part of a group of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters.

The protestors were chanting: “Whose streets? Our streets?” when a 40-year-old man walking his dog nearby answered that he believed the streets were “everybody’s streets.” The protesters then surrounded him. One of them physically assaulted him in the head and pushed him to the ground. While the victim was on the ground, two others allegedly punched and stomped on him and another tried to snatch his phone.

Marrero was reportedly charged with attempted robbery and assault.

September 13, 2021: "Defund the Police" Protest

Marrero posted pictures of himself on Instagram being handcuffed during a “Defund the Police” protest that occurred during the Met Gala, a yearly fashion event, on September 13, 2021. Marrero wrote on his Instagram post: “Our voce [sic] will be hared [sic] even if we might have to bleed #f**kthemetgala.”

The protest was reportedly organized by an “autonomous group of NYC abolitionists who believe that policing does not protect and serve communities.”

Marrero posted a video on Instagram showing the NYPD restraining [00:00:06], handcuffing [00:00:27], and removing [00:00:53] him from the protest after the police had issued warnings to clear the street. Marrero was reportedly [images 4 and 8] protesting as part of the BLM movement.

July 2022

Marrero posted a video on TikTok that showed him outside a courtroom with the words: “pray for me I have 7 open cases ftp [f**k the police] the fight continues,” superimposed on the video. In a comment, Marrero claimed that “all my charges are for protesting and beating up white supremacist.”

May 20, 2021 - Violent Times Square Counterprotest

Marrero was arrested [00:05:17] by police during a violent counterprotest in Times Square against a pro-Israel rally. He also spread [00:26:24] hatred of Israel and kicked [00:40:39] a police barricade.

Marrero could be seen [00:35:35] on the right side of the screen in one YouTube video, wearing a brown vest and camouflage shorts while marching with anti-Israel activists toward the pro-Israel activists.

At one point at the event, Marrero said [00:26:24] to an Israel supporter: “You support the Israeli government killing children, committing genocide on the people.”

Getting Arrested

During the violent counterprotest, Marrero was handcuffed [00:05:17] and escorted by three police officers. He could be seen [00:10:10] in another video later being restrained by five police officers on the ground.

Almost one year later, Marrero posted a video on Instagram that showed two police officers escorting him out of the protest with his hands restrained behind his back. He attempted to break away from the police, who then brought him to the ground. Four police officers picked him up and carried him across the street to police vans. The video had the caption: “Still screaming free Palestine until we say it backwards…And its ftp for life.”

During the rally, after demonstrators threw projectiles, police arrested several activists and declared the assembly “unlawful.” The police then demanded that the crowd disperse or be arrested. Despite police warnings, some rioters reportedly continued to throw projectiles at police while others fled the scene.

Kicking a Police Barrier

Marrero could be seen [00:40:39] in footage kicking a police barrier. He appeared [00:40:39] on the left side of the screen wearing the same outfit described above.

During the rally, anti-Israel activists pushed against a police barricade erected to separate the two groups. The anti-Israel side crossed the barricade and marched toward the pro-Israel side where they cursed at the pro-Israel activists.

The anti-Israel activists then chanted at the Israel supporters: “Nazis! Nazis!”

May 15, 2022 - WOL Protest in Brooklyn

Marrero participated in a WOL protest in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The WOL protest was titled: “Nakba 74.”

The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by defining it as a catastrophe.

At the rally, protesters chanted [slide 2]: “Long Live the Intifada!” and held signs that said [00:00:02]: “Nakba 74 - Resistance and return by any means necessary”

Since the early 2000s, the term “intifada,” which translates from Arabic as “uprising” or “insurrection,” has carried the connotation of violence.

Also at the rally, one speaker claimed [slide 7]: “...battalions of IDF [Israel Defense Forces] that are only protecting an idea that should be thrown into the dustbin of history. The Filipino people and Palestinian people share a common enemy that is US imperialism…”

Another speaker said [slide 4]: “We recognize that the state of Israel is a creation of the settler colonialism just as the US is a creation of settler colonialism…” Another activist also addressed the crowd and said [slide 6]: “...We demand land back and right of return…”

The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Nerdeen Kiswani addressed the crowd and said [00:01:29]: “The Israeli Zionist colonizer knows no bounds. They squat on our land and kill our people because they have nothing less than complete genocide and annihilation planned for the Palestinian people.”

Kiswani continued [00:06:18]: “Ever since May 15, 1948 and, even before, Palestinians have been killed senselessly, have been facing genocide, because the Israeli plan is to colonize all of Palestine from the river to the sea. And this is why we fight for Palestine from the river to the sea because every inch of that land is Palestinian…”

Also at the rally, anti-Israel agitator Amin Husain addressed the crowd and said [slide 9]: “The NYPD [New York City Police Department] is an occupying force in our city, on this land, so fighting for Palestine has to also mean f**k the police…”

Another speaker addressed the crowd and said [slide 10]: “We are all here inside the empire where Wall Street is, give or take, 20 miles away and all of them live…All of our enemies: the CEOs of these multinational corporations, these weapons manufacturers, these Zionists that run these philanthropic organizations, that are really shadow fu**ing governments…”

Hatred of Israel and America

On May 26, 2021, Marrero shared on Instagram a video of him speaking on a megaphone to a crowd. Marrero said [00:00:06]: “...the US is supporting the Israeli government that is committing genocide on their people…”

On July 10, 2022, Marrero posted on Youtube a music video of him burning [00:00:01] an American flag.

On August 28, 2022, Marrero posted a video on Instagram with the word “AMERIKKA” superimposed on it.

The term “Amerikkka” uses the initials of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as a way to demonize America as “fascist or racist.”

Hatred of the Police

On July 8, 2022, Marrero posted a video on Instagram of him calling [00:00:17] a police officer a “bi**h.”

Marrero captioned his post: “Don't judge me I'm using words there [sic] killing us ftp no justice no peace these are not hero's they are cowards.”

On September 8, 2022, Marrero shared a video on Instagram of him shouting at a group of police officers accusing some of them of being “cowards” and hiding behind the “mask” of protecting people.

Marrero also commented on his post: “Stop lieing [sic] to the people you are not here to protect us only to hurt and neglect us and you can't be a good cop in a races [sic] system because you will not be allowed to

.”

On December 30, 2020, Marrero posted on Facebook: “Abolish ice [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] f**k 12 free them all #

“F**k 12,” or “F 12,” is modern slang that generally means “F**k the police.”

On June 8, 2020, Marrero posted on Facebook: “gotta keep busy they want us down but we keep cumming up #f**k12#f**kthekkk#blacklivesmatter

Biographical Information

In May 2022, Marrero indicated [slide 2] on Instagram that he was part of the Uptown Revolutionaries, a group that teaches [slide 2] the public “to police the police,” emphasizing “the need for the community to fight back against the oppression of police brutality.”

WOL

Within Our Lifetime (WOL) is a pro-terror activist group in New York City dedicated to Israel’s destruction within the lifetime of its members.

Acts of violence and physical confrontations with police have frequently occurred at WOL protests and marches. WOL uses harassment campaigns to target pro-Israel organizations or companies that do business with Israel, making it a part of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Multiple activists who have either burned Israeli flags or led chants at WOL rallies were later jailed for violent anti-Semitic hate crimes, including Saadah Masoud and Waseem Awawdeh. In Masoud’s case, he received 18 months in jail for an anti-Semitic assault at an April 2022 WOL rally and two other anti-Semitic assaults in 2021.

WOL promotes “resistance” against Israel “by any means necessary,” calls to “Globalize the Intifada,” spreads incitement and idolizes [00:34:06] Palestinian terrorists like Leila Khaled and others at rallies and online events.

WOL was founded by Nerdeen Kiswani and Dan Cione in 2015. Kiswani is a frequent speaker at WOL rallies where she has promoted terrorism against Israelis and called for the death of Zionists. She has also provided support for Masoud and other activists following their arrests.

WOL began as the New York City chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), going by NYC SJP, but changed its name in 2018. The group is not found to be registered in any U.S. state as a nonprofit organization under its official name. Nor is there any listing for WOL under its name on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website for tax-exempt organizations.