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Rohaan Gill
Rohaan Gill [Rohaan Tahir Gill] participated in an anti-Israel protest in New York City in November 2025 that targeted Jews who were attending an event at a synagogue.
Rohaan Gill fought against Israel supporters, was arrested during a violent counterprotest and stole an Israeli flag in 2021. Gill has spread anti-Semitism, expressed support for the Hamas terror group and promoted hatred of Zionists and Israel on social media. Gill also honored a rioter charged with an anti-Semitic hate crime.
Gill spoke at the pro-Hamas encampment at Columbia in April 2024 where he called for Israel’s destruction and celebrated the Hamas terrorism of October 7, 2023, when Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis. His speech is detailed further below.
Gill is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Gill has participated [00:02:34] in rallies organized by Within Our Lifetime (WOL), an anti-Israel activist group in New York City. One of WOL’s “Points of Unity” states: “We defend the right of Palestinians as colonized people to resist the zionist [sic] occupation by any means necessary.”
For more information, see the Canary Mission page Within Our Lifetime: The NYC Org Inciting Its Activists To Violence.
Gill has also expressed support for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) on social media.
In April 2024, Gill stated [05:49:27] in his speech at the Columbia encampment that he was a registered nurse.
In June 2018, Gill posted images to Facebook indicating that he graduated from the City College of New York (CCNY) that month.
In July 2019, Gill’s Facebook page said he studied at Brooklyn College (BC) from August 2015 to December 2015.
As of October 2022, Gill used the handle “@realmoneyro” on Twitter and “@7rohaangill” on Instagram. Gill went by “Rohaan Tahir” and used the handle “@rohaan.gill” on Facebook. His Twitter bio indicated that he was located in Brooklyn.
Rohaan Gill Spoke at the Pro-Hamas Encampment at Columbia University (Columbia) and was Arrested During a Violent Counterprotest
Rohaan Gill was featured [00:00:13] in an Instagram video taken during an anti-Israel protest, where he and other protesters harassed a Jewish man and prevented him from entering Park East Synagogue.
On November 19, 2025, approximately 200 anti-Israel protesters gathered outside the Park East Synagogue in New York City to oppose an event being hosted inside the synagogue by Nefesh B’Nefesh (NBN), a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting potential Jewish immigrants to Israel.
Many protesters wore keffiyehs over their faces, and they stood directly outside the synagogue and chanted in support of terrorism. Individual protesters threatened violence and reportedly shouted antisemitic slurs.
The protest was organized by the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation (PAL-AWDA NY/NJ) and promoted by the New York City chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), known as JVP NYC. The pro-Hamas group Within Our Lifetime (WOL) was reportedly also among the organizers.
Protest videos posted on X showed protestors chanting: “RESISTANCE, YOU MAKE US PROUD! TAKE ANOTHER SETTLER OUT!" Among anti-Israel activists, the term “resistance” is a euphemism for nationalistic terror and is used to glorify and encourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence.
Protesters also chanted: "Intifada, intifada! Long live Gaza! Say it loud, say it clear, we don't want no Zionists [here]!" The term “intifada” carries the connotation of terrorist violence.
Pro-Israel counterprotesters stood in front of the synagogue and were shouted at by the protesters. One threatened to slit a counterprotester's throat, while another reportedly shouted: "F**king Jewish pricks."
Another video showed protesters shouting: "DEATH, DEATH, TO THE IDF [Israel Defense Forces]!" and: "GO TO HELL! GO TO HELL!"
Fox News showed [00:00:35] protesters stomping on an Israeli flag and chanting [00:00:22]: "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!", a chant used to call for the elimination of the State of Israel.
One day before the protest, PAL-AWDA NY/NJ posted a promotional flyer to X that said: “NO SETTLERS ON STOLEN LAND / PROTEST THE SETTLER RECRUITING FAIR." The flyer featured a photo of Jewish immigrants disembarking from a chartered NBN flight. On the front of the plane was the word "Jerusalem," which PAL-AWDA NY/NJ underlined and inserted text alleging: "Established in Europe."
One way that anti-Israel activists spread antisemitism is to claim that Jews do not descend from the ancient Israelites, but are allegedly white Europeans who lack a connection to the Land of Israel entirely. The same flyer also accused Israel of "Genocide," and referred to the IDF as the "IOF," a term meaning the "Israel Occupation Forces."
On November 24, 2025, PAL-AWDA NY/NJ posted on X: "It's our duty to protest NBN's role in the ongoing colonization of Palestine." The post had a graphic promoting a December 2, 2025, protest, and the post accused Israel of perpetrating an "ongoing genocide...illegal settlement and ethnic cleansing of Palestine." The graphic featured a sign that said: "F**k Israel."
On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped hundreds and wounded thousands. War crimes included mass rape and torture. Many Palestinian civilians participated in and supported the attacks, and Gazans working in the targeted Israeli communities gave intelligence to Hamas on where to strike.
CNN reported that in response to the protest, the spokesperson for New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said that Mamdani “believes every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship without intimidation...and that these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law."
Gill participated [00:02:34] in a WOL rally during OGW titled: “Emergency Rally for Palestine.”
Gill appeared [00:02:34] in a YouTube video, in the center of the frame wearing a pale blue face mask hanging from his right ear. He appeared [slide 2] in an Instagram photo while wearing a pale blue face mask on his chin.
At the rally, anti-Israel protesters chanted [00:00:22]: “Intifada, intifada! Long live the intifada!” and [00:08:48]: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!” The first chant is known as a call for violence while the second is a call for Israel’s destruction.
Gill stole [00:00:06] an Israeli flag from a protester, fought [00:01:12] with Israel supporters during a brawl and was then arrested [00:02:24] by police. The incident was at a violent counterprotest against a pro-Israel rally in Times Square.
When arrested, Gill was wearing [00:02:23] a dark grey hoodie and a red and white keffiyeh around his head and neck. Before the arrest, Gill masked [00:02:46] himself with the keffiyeh over his entire face except for his eyes.
The counterprotest occurred during Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls (OGW) in Gaza.
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.
Stealing an Israeli Flag
Gill stole [00:00:06] an Israeli flag from a pro-Israel protester who then attempted to recover the flag. Gill led him into a large group of other pro-Palestine activists who then repeatedly punched [00:00:13] him.
Fighting Against Israel SupportersLater on, some pro-Israel activists confronted some of those involved in stealing the flag.
Gill attempted [00:01:12] to punch a pro-Israel protestor in a white t-shirt from behind [00:02:22]. However, Gill was rebuffed and was struck [00:01:13] repeatedly in return.
In one Instagram video, Gill could be seen [00:02:18] on the left side of the frame wearing the same outfit he wore when arrested. In a YouTube video, he was visible [00:01:12] in the center of the frame attacking the man in the white t-shirt.
ArrestedGill was eventually arrested [00:02:24] and escorted [00:02:48] from the protest by the police. In one news report, Gill could be seen [image 1] being led by police after he was arrested and had his hands zip-tied [00:04:51] behind his back.
Spreading Hatred of Israel
At the same counterprotest, Gill held up [image 3] his middle finger at Israel supporters. He also participated [00:02:46] in the chant: “be-ruh be-dam nifdik ya Aqsa بروح ودم نفديك يا اقصى [With spirit, with blood, we will redeem you, Aqsa!].” The chant implies that Israel intends to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The allegation that Jews “threaten” to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been a pretext for Arab attacks on Jews long before the existence of the modern Jewish state. Such propaganda has led to multiple periods of violence against Israeli civilians.
Also at the rally, anti-Israel activists pushed against a police barricade erected to separate the anti-Israel and pro-Israel demonstrators. Anti-Israel demonstrators breached the barricade and marched toward the pro-Israel side, where many verbally assaulted pro-Israel activists. Some of the anti-Israel activists approached the pro-Israel activists and stole their Israeli flags.
The anti-Israel activists then moved back to their side of the barricade where they chanted at the pro-Israel side: “Nazis! Nazis!”
After anti-Israel activists threw projectiles, police removed the barricade and proceeded to arrest several of them. Police declared that the “assembly is unlawful” and demanded the crowd disperse or face arrest. Despite warnings, some rioters reportedly continued to throw projectiles at police, while others fled the scene. The police proceeded to arrest several anti-Israel activists while more activists ran away from police.
Police officers used bicycles to both disperse the rioters and pursue a number of them. Some rioters overturned police barricades to create obstacles in the street. Others threw garbage bags filled with trash onto the street while others dragged traffic barriers onto the street and overturned fencing.
On May 21, 2021, WOL posted two Instagram posts that portrayed the anti-Israel rioters as victims and offered legal support and advice to those arrested.
Honoring a Rioter Charged With an Anti-Semitic Hate Crime
On May 23, 2021, Gill wrote comments on an Instagram post celebrating the release of Waseem Awawdeh from police custody. Awawdeh had beaten a Jewish pro-Israel activist with a crutch at the May 20, 2021 counterprotest and was charged with assault as a hate crime, menacing as a hate crime and aggravated harassment as a hate crime.
Gill wrote: “Let’ssss goooooo” in response to an Instagram video showing Awadeh’s release from a police station.
Awawdeh was part of a mob that attacked and reportedly yelled anti-Semitic slurs at Joseph Borgen, who was headed to the pro-Israel rally in Times Square on May 20, 2021. Borgen was beaten to the ground, kicked and punched. Awawdeh continued to attack Borgen with a crutch. Borgen was also stomped on and pepper-sprayed.
On July 7, 2014, Gill tweeted an image of a Jewish Star of David and wrote: “There's a new kind of Nazi out there and this is their Swastika #FreePalestine.”
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights as one possible contemporary example of anti-Semitism: “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 countries have adopted the definition as well.
On July 16, 2014, Gill tweeted: “If you say Hitler should've killed all the jews and all that, how are you any different from the Zionist.”
On July 24, 2014, Gill tweeted: “Gaza is basically a concentration camp... I thought we were passed that #humanity.”
Gill wrote these tweets during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE) against Hamas in Gaza.
Israel commenced Operation Protective Edge (OPE) in July 2014, to stop rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians and to destroy Hamas attack tunnels.
On July 31, 2014, Gill tweeted: “... Hamas fighters kill three more Israeli soldiers… burnnnn baybay burnnnn.”
In a July 25, 2014 Twitter thread, Gill was asked two times if he supported Hamas launching rockets from Gaza hospitals. Gill responded: “if that’s what it takes…”
Hamas fired rockets from Gaza’s Shifa Hospital (Shifa) at Israeli population centers during Israel’s 2014 Operation Protective Edge. Hamas misfires also struck Shifa and the nearby al-Shati refugee camp. Hamas cleanup crews then concealed the evidence of the misfires, as was confirmed by Amnesty International and an independent Italian journalist.
On July 20, 2014, Gill tweeted a photo of armed Hamas fighters and wrote: “Resistance is justified when people are occupied.”
On April 4, 2016, Gill tweeted: “Zionist tears give me life.”
On May 15, 2020, Gill tweeted: “Today is the 72nd anniversary of the nakba, keep the people of Palestine in your dua [prayers] May Allah free the holy land from the Zionist oppressors.”
The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by drawing a comparison to the Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, meaning “catastrophe.”
On February 9, 2021, Gill tweeted: “my school really filled with Zionist 😫”
On October 9, 2015, Gill tweeted: “I truly sincerely hate the state of Israel from the bottom of my heart.”
On August 1, 2014, during OPE, Gill tweeted: “Cease fire my a**, I hate Israel sooo much.”
On July 23, 2014, Gill tweeted: “Israel has a PHD is deception... masterminds tbh [to be honest] it's crazy #PlayingVictimForTheWorld.”
On July 22, 2014, Gill tweeted: “Israel has a master plan they are trying to achieve, a plan made up years ago... but they can plan all they want, Allah is the best planner.”
On July 17, 2014, Gill tweeted: “May Allah destroy every Israeli soldier that enters Gaza.”
On July 5, 2014, Gill tweeted: “I hate Israel.”
On October 8, 2014, Gill tweeted: “BDS is hard but it is a must.”
On August 13, 2014, Gill tweeted: “My stash of Kit Kat is almost finished and then no more after that :/ #BDS.”
On August 3, 2014, Gill tweeted: “As muslims I think we all have to boycott Israeli products, especially now that it's showing to be effective #BDS.”
On July 21, 2014, Gill tweeted: “Download the free app ‘buycott’, you can scan the items barcode and find out if you're supporting israel or any other cause #BDS.”
On April 19, 2024, Gill spoke [00:00:00] at the Columbia encampment where he claimed he worked as a nurse in Gaza during Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists.
In the speech, Gill alleged [00:01:13] that Israel was committing a “clear and obvious genocide” in Gaza. He also said [00:02:13]: “Our tax dollars and Columbia’s investments are paying for this.”
Gill said [00:02:48] he spoke to a man in Gaza whose wife said [00:03:31]: “...we’re not gonna leave this land and if we die on this land our blood will soak the soil on this land, we’re not leaving…” Encampment participants cheered this statement.
Gill later said [00:03:58] that the same Gazan man told him that even though his wife and three children died in an Israeli airstrike, “this is the happiest he’s ever been because when they broke down those walls [on October 7th], it was the closest to liberation he’s ever felt in his life. This is who we’re here for!”
On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped hundreds and wounded thousands. War crimes included mass rape and torture. Many Palestinian civilians participated in and supported the attacks, and Gazans working in the targeted Israeli communities gave intelligence to Hamas on where to strike.
For more information, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.
Gill concluded [00:06:31] his speech by calling for Israel’s destruction, saying: “And I say this unapologetically. From the Jordan river to the Mediterranean Sea, free Palestine! And I mean all of it! Thank you.” Encampment participants cheered his closing line.
On April 17, 2024, Columbia students and anti-Israel activists set up a pro-Hamas “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on the university's main lawn. Many participants were arrested and the encampment featured multiple violent incidents, including taking over a campus building and taking a university worker hostage.
Activists protested Israel’s war against Hamas and demanded that Columbia “divest from companies and institutions that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and occupation…”
The action had reportedly been planned for months and was organized by the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) coalition. The encampment was also organized by Columbia’s banned pro-Hamas activist group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the university chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). Activists reportedly received training from National SJP and other anti-Israel organizations.
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.
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by pro-terror activist Omar Barghouti in 2005 to turn “Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.” Barghouti has also called for Israel's destruction and the BDS movement demands would result in that same goal.
BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.
The movement’s most notable achievement has been infiltrating university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments propose resolutions to boycott or divestment from Israel or Israeli-affiliated entities. BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents and pro-terror activism on campus.
