Protests took place across the United States and the world on October 7, 2025, in commemoration of the two-year anniversary of the heroic Operation Al Aqsa Flood as well as in condemnation of the US-Israel genocide.
In New York, about 100 people gathered outside the gates of Columbia University, where protesters condemned the university’s role in the genocide and called on activists to defend and uphold the lessons of the Palestinian resistance. One protester said in a speech, “Today we honor the second anniversary of the heroic Al Aqsa Flood, an operation that shattered the illusion of Zionist invincibility and gripped the entire world. We cannot leave the stories of resistance out of our discussions on Palestine or any oppressed peoples fighting for their freedom.”
Mahmoud Khalil, Columbia alum and Palestinian activist currently under threat of deportation by the Trump administration, gave a powerful speech to the crowd on the need to persist in the struggle and never back down in the face of repression. “By targeting me and other students, they wanted to make an example out of me. That’s why I’m here, to show them that they will never succeed in silencing us!”, he told the crowd to loud cheers and applause. Khalil spent months in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) torture camp in Louisiana earlier this year before being released in a legal victory with the pressure of the mass movement, serving the Trump administration a setback in its terroristic, politically-motivated deportations.
Later in the day, a sea of Palestine and resistance flags took over Manhattan as over a thousand protesters rallied outside the monopoly media parent company News Corp building in Manhattan, condemning the role of monopoly media in providing cover for the genocide. The protest, organized by NYC-based Palestine solidarity organization Within Our Lifetime, took the streets and marched north for a dozen blocks despite the massive police presence surrounding the protesters.
The speeches emphasized that October 7 doesn’t mark genocide but the freeing of political prisoners, a heroic act of resistance. Protesters chanted “It is right to rebel, Israel go to hell!”, “Intifada, Intifada, long live the Intifada!”, “Death, death, to the IDF!”, and “Yankees go home!” When asked for comment, protesters expressed their support for the Palestinian resistance to The Worker. “We celebrate this day as the day the Palestinian people broke free from their cage and reaffirmed their ability and legitimate right to resist occupation,” one attendee told The Worker.
In Seattle, the Puget Sound Revolutionary Student Union took up a state-wide call as part of 32 schools walking out for Palestine in Washington demanding an end to US support for Israel and in defense of the Palestinian resistance. According to the organization’s press release, around 400 students marched through downtown Seattle, with protesters destroying an effigy of Donald Trump and burning the Israeli flag.
In Boston, local Students for Justice in Palestine groups organized a march through the streets, with hundreds blocking traffic and waving Palestine flags. According to monopoly media reports, police began forcibly moving protesters off the street; in response, protesters fought back and defended their position, setting off red flares and chanting loudly as they surrounded the officers. Police responded violently, arresting 13 protesters and injuring several, while 4 police officers were sent to the hospital for injuries.
The Philly Palestine Coalition led hundreds of people in a march through the streets of Philadelphia, which enjoyed support from onlookers and workers. The march rallied outside the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters despite heavy police presence. One speaker connected ICE to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and imperialism, while another gave an impassioned speech on the need for armed resistance in the face of oppression, citing the example of Assata Shakur in the United States.
Other protests took place across the US and around the world on October 7, protests that tended to be more militant and openly pro-resistance compared to those that chose to avoid the anniversary date of Operation Al Aqsa Flood.
Photo: Al Aqsa Flood two-year anniversary protest in New York City.
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