At Cornell University in New York state, outspoken international student activist Momodou Taal has filed a lawsuit along with two others, seeking to block Trump’s executive orders targeting Palestinian rights activists. The three Cornell plaintiffs argue they’ve been “unconstitutionally silenced.” Last year, Momodou Taal, a British and Gambian national, was twice suspended for his activism by Cornell, which moved to cancel his student visa but ultimately backed down. Taal says law enforcement agents started following him around after he filed his lawsuit earlier this week. Supporters at Cornell mobilized Thursday to demand “hands off Momodou!” Last month, Taal told Democracy Now! why he would never stop advocating for Palestinian rights.
Momodou Taal: “When we say Palestine is a litmus test, we’re saying that it is not that we privilege the Palestinian cause over every other cause, but rather Palestine holds a mirror up unto the world and says, 'What kind of world do we want to live in?'”