A new report by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA) has uncovered how student-led pro-Palestinian protest movements in the United States have been using the Telegram messaging app to coordinate violent tactics, promote anti-American sentiment, and spread extremist, antisemitic rhetoric, reports The Jerusalem Post.
According to the report, Telegram has become a central tool for organising university encampments, with key activity traced to a channel named „Popular University 4 Gaza” (PU4G). The platform, widely used by extremist groups due to its encrypted nature, has facilitated cross-campus coordination between student protestors and external agitators at institutions such as Columbia, NYU, UCLA, MIT, and Northwestern.
The report highlights a 10-page manual titled „De-Arrest Primer,” shared in PU4G’s main Telegram channel. The manual advises activists on how to forcibly prevent arrests by physically pushing police officers, opening police car doors, and using wire cutters. The document also downplays arrests as „catch and release,” encouraging further confrontation.
Additionally, the report notes that participants frequently used derogatory terms such as „pigs” for police and shared identifying details of officers online in efforts to shame and target law enforcement.
The National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) and other groups, including Within Our Lifetime (WOL) and the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), were reported as central actors in the Telegram network. These groups have allegedly expressed support for terrorist organisations such as Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), both of which are designated as terrorist entities by the US government.
The dossier also details ideological materials referencing antisemitic conspiracies, support for the 7 October Hamas attacks, and broader calls to dismantle the American state, often labelling it a colonial entity.
The revelations come amid a broader federal crackdown on antisemitism and extremist activity on campuses. The US Department of Education has launched investigations into more than 60 universities following numerous reports of campus antisemitism and incitement.
Federal agencies have also reportedly revoked the visas of student protestors, including those at Harvard, Columbia, and multiple California institutions, and are considering stripping tax-exempt status from organisations accused of channelling funds to radical groups.
Aviram Bellaishe, JCFA Vice President and author of the report, emphasised that what appears to be grassroots activism may, in fact, be systematically organised with ideological or structural connections to extremist entities. „Telegram has become the operational heart of these movements,” he said. „What we are witnessing is not only logistical coordination, but the deliberate promotion of violence, antisemitism, and anti-American ideology, all under the guise of student protest.”
He warned that failure to act could lead to further radicalisation and violence, urging legal action against offending organisations and individuals.
Photo credit: JCFA report
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