by Guy Page

On last Friday’s podcast, Guy and Paul delve into the April 14 arrest in Colchester of Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi and the lawsuit filed against the Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and other student groups, claiming they cooperated closely with Hamas and other violent organizations in a domestic propaganda campaign in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attack on Israel.

Before you view, read this correction: Mohsen Mahdawi was NOT the co-president of Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), as stated in VDC last week and on the FAF podcast above. However, he was a member of Students for Justice in Palestine (according to a Columbia University publication).

There is no doubt, however, that Mahdawi was an early, active leader in pro-Palestine, anti-Israeli military activities at Columbia:

• A November 10 Columbia Spectator article depicts him speaking with a megaphone to a (peaceful) crowd, and calling for Palestinian-Jewish solidarity against both anti-semitism and the Israeli military response to the attack.

• Mahdawi co-founded with the now-detained Mahmoud Khalil a separate pro-Palestinian student organization, the Palestinian Student Union, AKA Dar (the Arabic word for ‘home’ or ‘abode’), in the fall of 2023, according to an April 14 complaint filed by Mahdawi’s lawyer.

Khalil, a student activist, planner of Columbia SJP demonstrations and disruptions, and lead negotiator for the encampment in the 2024 Columbia University pro-Palestinian campus occupations, was taken from his New York City apartment building by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on March 8, 2025. He has been transported to LaSalle Detention Center in Jena, Louisiana.

The depth of Mahwadi’s alignment with CSJP is an important question, because CSJP was the tip of the spear of pro-Hamas protests. Within days of October 7, the Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine signed a statement of solidarity with the Uprising: “We support the resistance, we support the liberation, and we indisputably support the Uprising….Glory to Palestine, glory to the resistance, and glory to our martyrs,” the statement said. It then began to implement the national group’s ‘Day of Resistance Toolkit’ “calling for a national day of Resistance on college campuses across Turtle Island.” Turtle Island is the reputed native American name for North America. The lawsuit filed against the Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine establishes with footnotes a link between a well-conceived, planned domestic propaganda campaign orchestrated by Hamas and the Day of Resistance Toolkit.

These activities, including barricades, building takeovers, encampments, and threats of violence and threatening acts against some Jewish students, resulted in Columbia University suspending the local SJP group. Its actions were condemned by both President Biden and NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

VDC has been unable to find any specific statement by Mahdawi renouncing either Hamas or Columbia SJP.

Details of Mahwadi’s life after Khalil’s arrest and before 4/14 detainment by ICE

According to an April 17 article in the Spectator, Mahdawi sheltered in place in his New York apartment following Khalil’s arrest. Then he moved to his camp in Vermont, located just 10 minutes from the Vershire home of his friend and hiking partner Christopher Helali, who provided the video of Mahdawi’s detention by ICE on April 14. Helali was the U.S. Communist Party candidate for Congress in 2020, and operates a socialist-leninist school in Orange County.

Journalist uncovers Mahwadi family background of military action against Israel

Last week, VDC published the photo at left (with grass in the background) and identified the gun-toting man as Mahwadi. The photo was taken from a Mohsen Mahwadi social media page. But it’s not Mahwadi – it’s his cousin, Masra or Maysarah Masharqa.

And therein lies some interesting family history, until now not covered by the VT news media.

Whether you call them terrorists or freedom fighters, by any name the Mahwadi family has a long, strong history of military conflict with the State of Israel, investigative journalist David Collier reports in his 4/18 post.

On his Instagram page, Mahwadi showed family photos of men he says were all killed by the Israelis. Collier said that fact is true – and provided more specific names and the circumstances of their deaths.

Uncle Thayer – identified – Taher Muhsein Madawi – Palestinian security force (terrorist).
Cousin Maysarah – identified – Myasarah Suliman Abd a-Rahman Masharqah – terrorist.
Cousin Hekmat – identified – Hikmat Samir Muhammad Milhem – terrorist.
Cousin Mohammed – identified – Muhammad Samir Muhammad Milhem – terrorist.

Furthermore, Collier identifies Mahwadi’s mother as a strong backer of pro-Palestinian violence, including photos of her praying at the grave of a leader of a suicide bombing ring. And Collier notes that nothing in his social media posts condemns the violence against the Israelis – if anything, the opposite is true (see Mahwadi note about the slain family members).

This doesn’t mean that the Mahwadi now sitting in a cell in Swanton endorses violence. He’s been a practicing Buddhist since his Columbia days. It does, however, provide more information and context about the complicated life history of the man who has become the political poster child of anti-Trump protests held last weekend across the state. As my UVM professor Luther Martin liked to say, ‘whatever we are, we are our past.’