What began as a reaction to ICE raids in Los Angeles has escalated into ideologically driven chaos as militant protesters invoke Palestinian “intifada” rhetoric, burn American flags, and promote anti-Israel and anti-American propaganda. Violent demonstrations in major U.S. cities, including New York and Los Angeles, now bear the hallmarks of foreign-inspired insurgency movements.
Over the weekend, demonstrators in Los Angeles transformed a protest over immigration enforcement into an aggressive, radicalized demonstration. Footage from downtown shows masked protesters, some clad in keffiyehs and waving Palestinian flags, hurling explosives, setting vehicles ablaze, and violently confronting law enforcement. Multiple scenes featured chants for an “intifada,” referencing past Middle East uprisings against Israel, paired with the destruction of American symbols.
Protesters shut down freeways, defaced public property with anti-Israel graffiti, and targeted U.S. law enforcement while promoting revolutionary slogans. Several individuals were observed wearing headbands and insignia affiliated with designated terrorist organizations, and signs called for revolution against what they labeled “colonial empires.”
The protests were not isolated. Similar scenes in New York revealed the same militant iconography. Activist groups with histories of anti-Israel agitation quickly seized the moment, using social media to encourage broader adoption of these tactics and ideologies. Some messages urged demonstrators to globalize the Palestinian “uprising” and to identify U.S. immigration policy with alleged Israeli oppression.
Isra Hirsi, daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar, posted online that ICE enforcement and Israeli defense efforts were connected through a “common oppressor,” declaring, “Death to the colonial empire.” Her statement reflects the dangerous narrative increasingly common among radical activist circles, blurring the line between domestic protest and international terrorism advocacy.
Mainstream news coverage largely ignored the ideological shift, choosing instead to spotlight ICE tactics and law enforcement presence. However, the violent symbolism and militant calls to action reveal a broader threat: radical foreign ideologies are now shaping American unrest, and with them, encouraging domestic instability under the banner of revolution.
