Community leaders denounce 'Death to America' chants during Dearborn rally

DEARBORN, Mich. (FOX 2) - Portions of a rally taking place in Dearborn are now making national headlines for chants of "death to America" and "death to Israel," made by attendees.

The hour-long rally was held in support of Palestine on Friday, in front of the Henry Ford Centennial Library on Michigan Avenue. During parts of the event, crowds began chanting anti-America and anti-Israel statements, which were captured and shared on social media by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

Now, there is growing concern that such extreme ideologies may be gaining momentum amid the ongoing war in Gaza. 

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud has publicly denounced the chants, calling them "unacceptable and contrary to the heart" of Dearborn. Other local leaders have followed.

"The rhetoric is frightening, and we know this is not a majority view of the Arab and Muslim community," said Sam Dubin, the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council. "But for those who were there, for those who were partaking in the shouting of ‘death to Israel’ and ‘death to the Unites States' – it’s frightening to say the least."

The event was held on the International Day of Al-Quds – which is a pro-Palestinian annual event held on the last Friday of Ramadan, opposing the ongoing Israeli occupation. Peaceful protests were held around the world this year, expressing support for Palestine during the war.

However, the strongly-worded statements made during the Dearborn rally are not echoed by the broader Arab-American community, leaders say.

"It is awful for somebody living on our soil, breathing our air, to be saying something like that. The shouting from the crowd… does not represent any Muslim in the United States." said Dr. Mahmoud Al-Hadidi, the chairman of the Michigan Muslim Community Council. "It should be investigated as hate speech. Hate speech is very dangerous."

"We reject all inflammatory and violent statements made at the gathering," Hammoud took to X (formerly Twitter). "Dearborn is a city of proud Americans; the hateful rhetoric heard on Friday does not reflect the opinion of the members of this community."

While the chants came from the crowd, many feel they were incited by the speakers.

"When these fools ask us if Israel has the right to exist, the chant ‘death to Israel’ has become the most logical chant shouted in the world today," said Tarek Bazzi, a Michigan-based activist associated with the Hadi institute, during Friday's event.

The chants "death to America" and "death to Israel" from the crowd followed.

"It puts Jews at risk when it comes down to it. We are a population who have been facing rising rates of antisemitism," Dubin said. 

Religious leaders say, no matter how you feel on this issue, it's important to write to your elected officials.

"We have our congress people to write to. We have our representatives and senators. However you feel, you should be engaged in the process of writing your congress person and really getting your voice heard," Dubin said.