Hamas Flags Waved At 'Rally To Defend Bay Ridge' In Brooklyn, Protestors Chant: 'We Don't Want No Zionists Here!' Activist Raja Abdulhaq: Gaza Has Shown Us The Way For Resistance - We Need To Reinvent The Movement In The West

Hamas flags were raised at the "rally to defend Bay Ridge and Palestine" that was held in front of the Islamic Society of By Ridge, Brooklyn on February 26, 2025, and some participants wore Hamas headbands. Abdullah Akl, and employee of MAS Staten Island Center, who spoke on behalf of Within Our Lifetime, said that "Zionism is an enemy to people, here and across all the world." Malik Hassan, the executive director of MAS Youth Center led a chant: "The Zionist is the enemy of Allah!" Hassan has participated in the anti-Israel encampment in Columbia University in April 2024. Another chant leader was Mahmoud Kasem, owner of the local Al-Aqsa Bakery. Raja Abdulhaq, the co-founder of Quds News Network and a frequent speaker at MAS centers in New York, urged participants to follow the sacrifice and resistance of the people of Gaza.

"Um Obeida," an activist dressed in military fatigues and a keffiyeh face covering – in the style of Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades' spokesman Abu Obeida - waved a Hamas flag. A female representative of CAIR NY also spoke at the rally. The rally broke up for prayer at the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge twice throughout the evening, and a man sporting an Abu Obeida hoody and Hamas headband was seen praying inside the mosque. The rally was organized by Within Our Lifetime, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) NY, PAL-Awda, Muslim American Society (MAS) New York, Palestinian Youth Movement, Mamas 4 a Free Palestine, and others.

Abdullah Akl: "Zionism is an enemy to all people, here and all across the world."

[...]

Malik Hassan: "There is no god but Allah!"

Protestors: "There is no god but Allah!"

Hassan: "And the martyr is beloved by Allah!"

Protestors: "And the martyr is beloved by Allah!"

Hassan: "And the Zionist is the enemy of Allah!"

Protestors: "And the Zionist is the enemy of Allah!"

[...]

Mahmoud Kasem: "They say that Gazans are terrorists..."

Protestors: "They say that Gazans are terrorists..."

Kasem: "We are all Gazans!"

Protestors: "We are all Gazans!"

[...]

Kasem: "Netanyahu, you pig..."

Protestors: "Netanyahu, you pig..."

Kasem: "We dragged you in chains!"

Protestors: "We dragged you in chains!"

[...]

Raja Abdulhaq: "The people of Gaza did not only destroy that legacy of Zionism, they showed us the way of liberation, they show us the way of fighting for human dignity."

[...]

"Say: Allah Akbar!"

Protestors: "Allah Akbar!"

Abdulhaq: "There is only one reason that people are willing to put their lives for Gaza – it's because Gaza has shown us the way for liberation.

[...]

"I urge all of you today to build for the resilience, sacrifices, and resistance of the people of Gaza, to reinvent the movements in the West, to bring about justice and freedom, and to support our people overseas.

[...]

Protestor 1: "Say it loud, say it clear!"

Protestors: "Say it loud, say it clear!"

Protestor 1: "We don't want no Zionists here!"

Protestors: "We don't want no Zionists here!"

[...]

Protestor 2: "Resistance is glorious!"

Protestors: "Resistance is glorious!"

Protestor 2: "We will be victorious!"

Protestors: " We will be victorious!"