Speakers at the second annual People’s Conference for Palestine in Detroit over the weekend made incendiary remarks about Israel, including calls that attendees and at least one news outlet described as demands for the Jewish state’s destruction, according to video of the event and reporting by the New York Post.
Video posted from the Aug. 29–31 conference at Huntington Place shows Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) addressing a cheering crowd, criticizing what she characterized as longstanding violence against Palestinians and declaring that Palestinian voices are gaining influence in the United States. "Every genocide enabler, look at this room motherf–ers — we ain’t going anywhere!" Tlaib said in the footage. "They thought they could kill us, rape us, imprison us, violently uproot us from our olive tree farms, starve our children to death, and we would disappear. Well, guess what? Now we’re in Congress, and we’re in every corner of the United States."
The New York Post reported that several other speakers at the three-day event used comparable language and that two individuals the outlet described as terrorists were among those who attended. The Post also reported that Nidal Jboor, identified by the outlet as a Michigan-based doctor and anti-Israel activist, "was among a bevy of speakers who openly called for the murder of Jews," citing remarks in conference footage. The remarks reported by the Post were widely condemned in social media posts and by commentators opposed to the speakers' rhetoric.
Organizers billed the gathering as the second annual People’s Conference for Palestine. Video and photographs from the event show a packed convention hall and a program that included speeches, panel discussions and chants. The conference drew activists, community leaders and elected officials who have advocated for Palestinian rights amid heightened attention to violence and humanitarian concerns in the region.
Tlaib, a member of the informal liberal House coalition known as the "Squad," is the first Palestinian-American elected to Congress and has been a frequent critic of Israeli policies. Her appearance at the Detroit event came amid an intensifying national debate over U.S. policy toward Israel and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, a debate that has produced sharp rhetoric on all sides.
The New York Post account and the event video illustrate how those debates have manifested at grassroots gatherings, where some speakers and attendees have embraced more confrontational language. The Post’s characterization of two attendees as terrorists was reported by the outlet; event organizers and several speakers did not immediately offer public statements to the Post disputing those descriptions in the reporting.
Public reaction to the conference and the remarks has been divided. Supporters of Palestinian advocacy have defended the conference as a platform for marginalized voices to protest what they describe as longstanding injustices. Critics said the language used at the event crossed a line into calls for violence and the eradication of a sovereign state and its people.
The Detroit event is among a series of high-profile pro-Palestinian gatherings nationwide this year that have drawn attention from local officials, advocacy groups and national media. Coverage has varied in tone and emphasis, with some outlets focusing on the protesters’ stated humanitarian aims and others highlighting inflammatory rhetoric and security concerns.
Video of the conference circulated on social media after the event, fueling further debate over free speech, political advocacy and the limits of acceptable public discourse. Law enforcement agencies and federal officials have in the past investigated specific threats or violent acts tied to political rhetoric; there was no immediate public indication in video or reporting tied to this conference that federal charges had resulted directly from remarks made at the event.
Reporting by the New York Post was cited in this article for details about attendees and remarks that the outlet identified as calls for violence. Video of the conference, including the remarks quoted, was posted on YouTube and has been shared across social platforms. The People’s Conference for Palestine listed programming and speakers on its event materials but did not immediately provide a public statement disputing the New York Post’s reporting on attendee identities or quoted remarks.
The event underscores widening polarization in U.S. politics over the Israel-Palestine conflict and the ways domestic political figures and activists engage with those international issues at home. Congressional figures who attend or speak at advocacy events often face scrutiny for their remarks; in this case, Tlaib’s participation and the language used by other speakers have prompted renewed attention to the intersection of elected office, advocacy and charged political rhetoric.