New Yorkers Protest Anti-Refugee Sentiment

By Tashan McFadden

Hundreds of New Yorkers rallied in Columbus Circle December 10 to protest recent comments by the presidential candidate and the passage of a bill that could restrict the entry of refugees.

Human Rights Trump Oppression organized the rally to express solidarity with Syrian and Iraqi migrants seeking refuge in the United States.

“This was one of the many public examples of the recent, recurring Islamophobic, Arabphobic, and xenophobic attacks against the Muslim members of our community,” the group said in its Facebook page for the event.

Rally speakers stood at the foot of Christopher Columbus, next to Trump International Hotel, and shared personal stories with the crowd. One speaker said he had to leave his family in Syria to come to America and if Trump is elected president, he would not be able to bring the rest of his family to this “great nation.”

Presidential candidate Donald Trump is under fire after his recent comments where he called for the ban of Muslim and Syrian refugees because of the attacks in Paris and on American soil by ISIS.

Rally participants said they wanted to show that not all Muslims are violent or involved with ISIS. “Say it loud, say it clear, Muslim refugees are safe here,” the crowd chanted. Some carried signs in English and Arabic, reading #DumpTrump, “Grief has no borders,” and “They become refugees when we bomb their homes.”

Protester Aury Garcia, 18, said it was the first protest she had joined. “It was exciting,” she said. “I could feel a bond when I was in the group hearing the stories and saying the chants. You feel like you are safe.”