Mohammed Hammad

Earlier on May 20, 2021, Hammad participated [00:07:54] in a violent counterprotest against a pro-Israel rally in Times Square. Hammad appeared [00:07:54] in video footage, on an elevated platform, raising his arms triumphantly as he stood beside violent anti-Israel agitator Waseem Awawdeh, who was arrested at the same protest for physically assaulting a Jewish man.

The counterprotest occurred during Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW) against Hamas.

In May 2021, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists fired over 4,300 rockets from Gaza at major population centers in Israel. Israel responded by launching OGW, carrying out targeted military strikes in Gaza.

During the violent counterprotest, Hammad was arrested [00:02:30]. He could also be seen [image 13] in an image from a news article where police officers handcuffed him.

During the rally, anti-Israel activists pushed against a police barricade erected to separate the two groups. The anti-Israel side breached the barricade and marched toward the pro-Israel side where they verbally assaulted the pro-Israel activists. Separate videos showed some anti-Israel activists also stealing Israeli flags from the pro-Israel activists.

The anti-Israel activists then moved back to their side of the barricade where some of them chanted at the Israel supporters: “Nazis! Nazis!”

Also during the rally, after demonstrators threw projectiles, police removed the barricade it had installed and proceeded to arrest several anti-Israel activists. Police declared the assembly to be “unlawful” and 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.

 Joining an Anti-Israel Chant

During the violent counterprotest, Hammad also chanted [00:07:41]: “be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya Aqsa!” Video of the counterprotest by Freedom News TV showed [00:07:41] Hammad wearing the same outfit as when arrested, pumping his fist and chanting near fellow anti-Israel activist Rohaan Gill, whose face was masked in a red-and-white-patterned keffiyeh.
 

 Ripping and Stomping on the Israeli Flag

At the violent counterprotest, footage from multiple video sources showed [00:03:24] Hammad ripping [00:09:22] an Israeli flag and stomping [00:09:30] on it.

As police declared the demonstration unlawful and instructed protesters to disperse, Hammad could be seen [00:09:18] on the right side of the screen as he shredded and trampled an Israeli flag after others attempted [00:09:08] to burn the flag. Hammad was wearing a Palestine flag scarf wrapped around his head and masking his face.

Ignoring repeated police instructions [00:09:06] to disperse or face arrest, the demonstrators screamed [00:09:37] “Allhu Akhbar” and cursed [00:09:47] Israel.

Anti-Israel activists from the counterprotest also violently attacked [00:00:03] and reportedly yelled anti-Semitic slurs at Joseph Borgen, a Jewish man who was heading to the pro-Israel rally in Times Square.

Borgen was beaten to the ground, kicked and punched. Once he was on the ground Borgen was attacked [00:00:32] repeatedly with a crutch, stomped [00:00:35] by several counterprotesters and pepper-sprayed [00:00:07], leaving him unable [00:12:38] to see.

Anti-Israel activists Waseem Awawdeh, Mohammed Othman, Mahmoud R. Musa and Faisal Elezzi all participated in the attack on Borgen and were charged with multiple hate crimes.

Police arrested two of the anti-Israel attackers and charged them with assault as a hate crime, menacing as a hate crime, and aggravated harassment as a hate crime. That same day, other anti-Israel activists also shot fireworks at people.

On May 21, 2021, WOL posted two Instagram posts offering legal support and advice to anyone arrested “while protesting for palestine.” The posts also portrayed the assailants as victims.

May 15, 2021 - Joining an Anti-Israel Chant at a WOL Rally

Hammad chanted [00:21:21] during a May 15, 2021, WOL-organized rally: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!” He appeared [00:21:25] in video footage of the rally on the left side of the screen, holding a Palestinian flag while making the V-for-Victory sign.

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is a chant calling to dismantle the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state.

Hammad participated [slide 1] in a May 15, 2021, WOL rally titled: “Nakba 73 Defend Palestine!” held in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. He could be seen [slide 1] in multiple [slide 3] photos wearing [slide 4] a Palestinian flag headband, waving a Palestinian flag, with a t-shirt that said: “Free Palestine.”

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 protest, anti-Israel protesters, held signs that said [00:06:40]: “F**k Israel. All my homies hate Israel. #FreePalestine” and [00:06:21] “Zionists are Nazis.” They also chanted [00:27:34]: “5,6,7,8 Israel is a terrorist state” and held signs that accused [00:09:11] Israel of apartheid.

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.