Jeffrey Dinowitz on protest

To the editor:

On Sunday, March 23rd, I stood with leaders and members of the local Ukrainian community at their weekly protest vigil across the street from the Russian residence in North Riverdale. We were there to demonstrate in support of the Ukrainian people’s fight for freedom and to show that, as Americans, we disagreed vociferously with President Trump’s decision to align our country with Russia, the aggressor in the war and a country where human rights and free speech do not exist.

Near the end of the vigil, I saw Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz and his son, City Councilman Eric Dinowitz, walking up to join the crowd. I called out, “What are you going to do about Khalil?” in reference to the Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who has been renditioned by Trump’s agents and taken to a Louisiana prison, despite being charged with no crime other than speech in favor of Palestinian freedom. The Assemblyman replied, “I will personally escort him out of the country.”

Assemblyman Dinowitz then proceeded to give a speech touting his support for Ukraine’s freedom and decrying Russia’s assault. What a hypocrite, he is for freedom of speech only when it is speech he likes. 

I should add that as a member of the steering committee of NYCD16/15-Indivisible, we sent a letter to Dinowitz two weeks ago imploring him to speak out to defend Khalil’s constitutional rights to due process, even if he disagrees with Khalil’s views. Dinowitz wrote back the following:

“I am responding to your letter regarding the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil. Mr. Khalil was a leader of the anti-Israel mob at Columbia University. I believe he openly supports Hamas, a savage terrorist organization that is responsible for the deaths of many, many people, including Americans. So, if he is deported, I would not shed a tear.”
 
“However, we are a nation of laws, and all laws must be followed in the matter. All First Amendment rights must be strictly observed. There must be due process. I am not a constitutional expert, so I cannot say whether his rights have been violated. I assume you are not constitutional experts either. As far as I know he has not specifically been charged with a crime.”
 
“You are correct in saying that the point is not whether we agree with Mahmoud Khalil’s support for Hamas terrorists who have murdered countless people, but rather whether our laws have been observed or violated. I will trust the courts to make that decision.”

I leave it to readers to decide whether promising to “personally escort him out of the country” comports with claiming to uphold the First Amendment.

Micah L. Sifry