This month Mahmoud Khalil, a latest Columbia College graduate who had labored with human rights teams and even the UK authorities, was detained in New York. His spouse, who’s eight months pregnant, mentioned her husband was not informed why he was being detained and that officers assumed he was on a visa – however truly he has a inexperienced card, permitting him to remain within the US and defending his constitutional rights.
Khalil says his detention is a part of a crackdown on dissent – and to discourage others from protesting. Throughout pro-Palestine protests on the Columbia campus final yr he acted as a mediator between the college and the demonstrators, and, in contrast to many college students, left his face uncovered. Then Donald Trump was elected US president and promised to clamp down on pupil protests.
Prof Joseph Howley, who is aware of Khalil, says he’s “conspicuously committed to non-violent resolution of conflict, conspicuously committed to an inclusive vision of liberation and peace”. He tells Michael Safi why the implications of the federal government’s efforts to detain and deport Khalil are “incredibly chilling”.
Chris McGreal, who writes for Guardian US, explains the background to the case and whether or not free speech and the correct to protest are secure in Trump’s America.
