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A keffiyeh-clad attendee at a pro-Palestine fundraiser in Michigan vowed that people at the event are willing to fight and die to bring down the 'American empire.'

A resurfaced video shared by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) shows a man at the Stories for Liberation event in Dearborn Heights on February 7 called for the United States to be brought down.

The event, hosted by the Palestinian Youth Movement at Newora Cafe, was a poetry night and raffle fundraiser to 'strengthen the steadfastness of the people of Gaza.'

Dearborn Heights - as well as the neighboring city of Dearborn - have some of the highest populations of Muslims in the United States.

Dearborn was dubbed the U.S. 'Jihad Capital' by The Wall Street Journal and made headlines last year when protesters at a pro-Palestine rally chanted 'death to America.'

The video showed the attendee promising to work towards and even sacrifice themselves to end America.

'We do feel like change needs to come, because change must come. And in the form that it must come is that this empire, the American empire that's been hurting our people since the beginning, the imperial Western powers that have been hurting our people since the beginning, they must fall,' the man said.

'And inshallah, inshallah, they will fall. And my message to people of Gaza and oppressed people across the world is that there are people here, both young and old, who are going to be willing to fight and are willing to put their lives and everything they can on the line to bring these empires down. Because they must come down.'

A keffiyeh-clad attendee at a pro-Palestine fundraiser in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, vowed that people at the event are willing to fight and die to bring down the 'American empire'

Neighboring Dearborn was dubbed the U.S. 'Jihad Capital' by The Wall Street Journal and made headlines last year when protesters at a pro-Palestine rally chanted 'death to America'

Dearborn Heights Fundraiser and Poetry Night for Palestine: This American Empire Must Fall; People Here Are Willing to Fight and Put Their Lives on the Line to Bring These Western Empires Down pic.twitter.com/sr8gxD1szC

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) April 15, 2025

The alarming message sparked immediate backlash online, with some calling for the federal government to investigate his claims.

'This guy is speaking calmly & clearly & the lady next to him had that Squeaky look in her eyes. TRUST he means what he’s saying people,' actor Michael Rapaport said.

'I’ll never get used to the hypocrisy of the people calling for the fall of America while living in America - particularly the ones that moved here,' said another.

A third person said, 'I have such a tough time understanding this. How do you live in America, benefit from everything it offers, but then want it to fall? Why not just go live in a country that has the qualities you desire?'

'These people are dangerous hateful idiots,' added a fourth.

Even those who said they are pro-Palestine slammed the man for his beliefs claiming he is hurting the movement.

'You're going to get Dearborn blown up. We're with you on stopping our Country from being complicit in genocide, but the stand you're taking is making it a no choice situation,' one person said.

'We don't want your ideology or Israel's. We want to restore the Constitutional Republic.'

Donald Trump won Michigan in the 2024 election after attending a campaign event with Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi and local Imam Belal Alzuhairi in October.

'We, as Muslims, stand with President Trump because he promises peace, not war,' Alzuhairi told the crowd of a few thousand, who cheered loudly.

'The bloodshed has to stop all over the world. And I think this man can make that happen. I personally believe that God saved his life twice for a reason.'

Many voters in Dearborn refused to vote in the primaries because residents are fiercely divided over the war in Gaza.

ANN ARBOR, MI - Santa Ono’s temporary successor comes from within the University of Michigan community.

Domenico Grasso, the chancellor for the Dearborn campus, was selected as the university’s interim president, officials announced Thursday, May 8. The decision came after a closed meeting by the Board of Regents.

Grasso, 69, has been the Dearborn campus’ chancellor since August 2018. A former U.S. Army major, he earned his doctorate in environmental engineering from the University of Michigan.

Prior to Dearborn, Grasso was provost at University of Delaware. Since coming to Dearborn, he has been credited with increasing the campus’ graduation rate by 16% and updating the campus master plan to allow for more safe bicycle transportation.

“President Grasso is widely admired for his visionary work leading University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he has held the role of chancellor since 2018,” the Board of Regents wrote in a message to the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses and Michigan Medicine. “We have full confidence that President Grasso will provide steady leadership during this critical time of transition.”

“Being asked to serve as the interim president of the University of Michigan is a profound honor,” said Grasso. “I offer my gratitude to the board and my promise to the community to meet this opportunity with energy, integrity and dedication to our shared mission.”

The move comes after Ono, 62, announced Sunday he will step down as president and intends to take the same job at the University of Florida. He expects to assume that role this summer, he announced in a May 4 release through his UM office.

Ono congratulated Grasso on the appointment.

“A visionary leader at UM-Dearborn since 2018, he brings wisdom, integrity, and steady leadership to this important moment of transition,” Ono wrote in a post on X.

Ono took over in October 2022 after the university dealt with a series of sexual misconduct scandals, including the sexual abuse lawsuit involving Robert Anderson.

Over nearly three years, Ono made waves through his vigorous support of Wolverine athletics, as well as paving plans for massive campus expansion. He also dealt with challenges from pro-Palestine activism, cuts to diversity, equity and inclusion programs and threats from the Trump administration to strip federal funding.

Read more: Trump, DEI cuts & Michigan football: 5 takeaways from Santa Ono’s time at University of Michigan

Read more: Santa Ono did not stand up for University of Michigan values, faculty leader says

The regents will make the announcement official at the May 15 meeting on the Dearborn campus. The search for a permanent president will start in the coming weeks, officials said, a position Grasso does not wish to pursue.

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