Protesters in Dearborn, Michigan, shouted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” during an International Al-Quds Day rally held in the town.
“Imam Khomeini, who declared the International Al-Quds Day, this is why he would say to pour all of your chants and all of your shouts upon the head of America,” Tarek Bazzi, a Michigan-based activist associated with the Hadi institute, said in a video from the rally that was shared by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Bazzi’s comments were followed by crowds chanting “Death to America!” in the background.
Bazzi reasoned that the rallies held on the day “are so anti-America” instead of focusing on Israel because “it’s the United States government that provides the funds for all of the atrocities,” pointing to Israel’s continued siege of Gaza as an example.
The activist went on to quote Malcolm X, who said the U.S. is “one of the rottenest countries that has ever existed on this Earth,” while arguing to eliminate the entire American “system.”
“It’s not just Genocide Joe that has to go,” Bazzi said, referring to President Biden. “It is the entire system that has to go. Any system that would allow such atrocities and such devilry to happen and would support it – such a system does not deserve to exist on God’s Earth.”
Bazzi then turned his attention to Israel, telling the audience that when “fools” ask them “if Israel has the right to exist,” the chant “Death to Israel” is “the most logical chant shouted across the world today.”
The remarks were followed by chants of “Death to Israel” from protesters in the crowd.
International Al-Quds Day, an annual pro-Palestinian event held on the last Friday of Ramadan, enjoys significant support in Dearborn, which has the country’s highest proportion of Muslim residents.
Celebrations of the day have been controversial throughout the world, even drawing a ban by German authorities in Berlin on multiple occasions.
Rallies to mark the day have been taking place in Dearborn for at least 20 years, according to MEMRI Executive Director Steven Stalinsky, who told Fox News Digital that the town has become a “hotbed of hate for many years.”
“You can see rallies and sermons in support for Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran,” Stalinsky said, noting that the threats emanating from the city have become even more pronounced since the October Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
