In a scene that feels like it belongs in a dystopian political novel, protesters stood outside a Jewish synagogue this week chanting “Globalize the Intifada” — a slogan with a well-documented history as both a call to violence and an ideological demand for the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state. This wasn’t some ambiguous rallying cry. This was a direct threat, aimed not just at the State of Israel, but at Jewish communities everywhere.
Mamdani spox Dora Pekec tells me the mayor-elect “has discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so,” in response to demonstrators outside Park East Synagogue who chanted “Death to the IDF” and “Globalize the intifada.”
Full statement: pic.twitter.com/YXllhvdQMv
— Matthew Kassel (@matthewkassel) November 20, 2025
Let’s be absolutely clear: “Intifada” is not a peaceful term. It refers to two bloody uprisings marked by suicide bombings, shootings, and terrorist attacks that killed hundreds of Israeli civilians — including children. To globalize the Intifada is to invite that kind of violence to the doorsteps of Jews around the world. Including right here in America.
So, where’s the outrage from the usual defenders of “international law”? Where’s the breathless condemnation from the political class that claims to stand against hate? Well, if your name is Zohran Mamdani — the socialist mayor-elect of New York City and favorite of the far-left media — the silence is deafening. Apparently, chanting slogans that effectively call for Jewish death and the dismantling of Israel doesn’t violate the kind of “international law” that progressives like Mamdani care about.
Asked to clarify the concluding caveat, Mamdani’s team says it “was specifically in reference to the organization’s promotion of settlement activity beyond the Green Line,” which “violates international law.”
— Matthew Kassel (@matthewkassel) November 20, 2025
But let’s get something straight: in America, international law isn’t law at all unless Congress or a treaty says so. And last we checked, the First Amendment is still in force — which means, yes, even disgusting speech like this is protected. The state can’t jail someone for saying “Globalize the Intifada.” But that doesn’t mean we’re obligated to treat it as legitimate or pretend it’s just edgy activism.
What makes this even worse is the location of the protest. This wasn’t outside a consulate. This was outside a synagogue, a sacred space for American Jews, many of whom have already faced a historic spike in antisemitic attacks over the past year. Intentionally targeting a Jewish house of worship to shout revolutionary slogans against Jews and Israel walks dangerously close to violating U.S. laws protecting religious freedom, prohibiting intimidation, and preventing targeted harassment.
Mamdani spox Dora Pekec tells me the mayor-elect “has discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so,” in response to demonstrators outside Park East Synagogue who chanted “Death to the IDF” and “Globalize the intifada.”
Full statement: pic.twitter.com/YXllhvdQMv
— Matthew Kassel (@matthewkassel) November 20, 2025
So where are the arrests? Where’s the DOJ? If the slogan were flipped and chanted outside a mosque or any other place of worship, the reaction would be immediate, coordinated, and nationwide.
Mamdani spox Dora Pekec tells me the mayor-elect “has discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so,” in response to demonstrators outside Park East Synagogue who chanted “Death to the IDF” and “Globalize the intifada.”
Full statement: pic.twitter.com/YXllhvdQMv
— Matthew Kassel (@matthewkassel) November 20, 2025
The American left has spent years preaching about “hate speech,” “microaggressions,” and “safe spaces” — but suddenly when it’s Jews being shouted down and intimidated in their own communities, those principles vanish. And politicians like Mamdani, who are always ready to invoke “international law” when it suits their anti-American narratives, go quiet when it doesn’t.
