"Death to the USA": Pro-Palestinian Groups Turn Fourth of July Into Anti-American Protest
As the nation celebrated its 250th anniversary, a coalition of Pro-Palestine and aligned organizations flooded social media with posts denouncing American independence as "genocide" and "stolen land"
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While millions of Americans gathered to celebrate Independence Day 2026, a seemingly coordinated network of pro-Palestinian organizations launched protests, marches, and a digital campaign rejecting the legitimacy of the United States itself. From street protests chanting “Death to the USA” in New York City to Instagram graphics equating American independence with “mass rape, murder, and displacement,” the Fourth of July became a flashpoint for groups promoting a radical anti-American message.
The posts, which collectively reached hundreds of thousands of users, reveal how mainstream Islamist and aligned organizations have embraced rhetoric that fundamentally challenges the foundation of American national identity — and how several groups involved have documented ties to foreign influence networks and extremist organizations.
The Street-Level Message
On the evening of July 4th, protesters marched through Manhattan chanting “Death to the USA!” and “F*** the Fourth” in opposition to America250, the official celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. Video footage captured by citizen journalist Oliya Scooter Caster showed demonstrators openly expressing hostility toward the United States during its semiquincentennial commemoration. The protest marked the street manifestation of a broader digital campaign that had been building across social media platforms.
Mainstream Organizations Join the Campaign
The anti-Fourth of July messaging extended far beyond fringe street activists. CAIR Action, the political advocacy arm of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, posted a graphic declaring “250 YEARS OF WAITING / THE TIME FOR JUSTICE IS NOW.”
The organization’s caption explicitly linked America’s founding to “institutional corruption, endless foreign wars, or the genocide in Gaza,” framing the 250th anniversary as a moment demanding accountability rather than celebration. CAIR Action directed followers to voter mobilization resources, positioning its criticism within an explicit political strategy.
The People’s Forum NYC, a self-described socialist organization, promoted “250 YEARS OF STRUGGLE AGAINST WHITE SUPREMACY, EXPLOITATION, & EMPIRE” while advertising its “Socialist Summer School” as counter-programming to America250. Congressional investigations revealed that The People’s Forum received over $20 million from Neville Roy Singham, a wealthy expatriate living in Shanghai with documented ties to Chinese Communist Party propaganda networks. The House Ways and Means Committee accused the organization of operating as “a foreign agent of the Chinese Communist Party” while enjoying U.S. tax-exempt status.
The “Stolen Land” Narrative
Multiple organizations deployed graphics linking American independence to Palestinian activism. Claremont Students for Justice in Palestine and Claremont Jewish Voice for Peace posted a series declaring “THERE’S NO ‘INDEPENDENCE DAY’ ON STOLEN LAND / FROM TURTLE ISLAND TO PALESTINE, WE SAY LAND BACK!” The posts characterized American founding as “ethnic cleansing and genocide,” explicitly comparing the United States to “occupied Palestine.”
Global Sumud US, which shares branding with the Global Sumud Flotilla that the U.S. State Department condemned as "a pro-Hamas initiative" organized by a Treasury-sanctioned terrorist entity, circulated a graphic stating "LAND BACK! FROM TURTLE ISLAND! TO PALESTINE!” The organization also shared an image declaring: “WE WILL NEVER IN OUR LIFETIMES RECOGNIZE YOUR INDEPENDENCE BUILT OFF OF MASS RAPE, MURDER, & DISPLACEMENT.”
Organizations With Documented Extremist Ties
Several organizations participating in the Fourth of July campaign have documented connections to extremist networks. The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), through its Council for Social Justice arm, hosted a public lecture titled “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” in partnership with Muslim Alliance for Black Lives. ICNA was listed in a 1991 Muslim Brotherhood "Explanatory Memorandum" — entered as evidence in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial — that outlined a strategy for "eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within" through a network of American organizations."
The Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism posted graphics arguing that American independence was “in part a fight by colonists to prove God chose the U.S. over Britain as God’s ‘elect’ nation” with the goal of helping “restore God’s Chosen people — the Jewish people — to Palestine.” The post was created in partnership with American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), which a George Washington University Program on Extremism study identified as part of Hamas-linked networks that “adapted their strategies to avoid legal scrutiny” after the government shut down the Holy Land Foundation for terrorism financing.
A Coordinated Rejection of American Legitimacy
The Fourth of July posts reveal more than criticism of specific policies — they represent a fundamental rejection of American legitimacy. Portland for Palestine organized a rally featuring endorsements from Veterans for Peace, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Extinction Rebellion, promoting messaging about “250 YEARS OF U.S. WAR CRIMES / OVER 1000 DAYS OF GENOCIDE.” The coalition approach demonstrates coordination across ideological lines, uniting socialist organizations, Muslim advocacy groups, and anti-Zionist Jewish organizations around a shared anti-American framework.
The consistent messaging across organizations — equating American independence with genocide, characterizing the United States as “stolen land,” and linking domestic critiques to Palestinian activism — suggests a deliberate strategy to reframe Independence Day as a moment of national shame rather than celebration. As these organizations mobilize for political influence, their Fourth of July messaging offers a window into how they view the country they seek to transform.