America “must fall” to bring peace to Palestinians, and there’s folks in Dearborn who are willing to fight to their death to make that a reality.

“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,” the Middle East Media Research Institute posted to X with a video from the February event hosted by the Palestinian Youth Movement.

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 50-second clip features two attendees –  a man and a woman – wearing keffiyehs at Newora Café as one discusses the future of Gaza, U.S. support for Israel, and his view on what it will take to bring peace to the region.

“We haven’t done anywhere near enough, and the people here, I promise you, we do feel ashamed, we do feel like we’re not doing enough, we do feel like change needs to come because change must come,” the man said.

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“And in the form it must come is that this empire, the American empire that has been hurting our people since the beginning, the imperial Western powers that have been hurting our people since the beginning, they must fall,” he continued.

“An inshallah, inshallah, they will fall,” the man said. “And my message to people of Gaza and the 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.”

The comments sparked concerns around the world, with the UK-based Daily Mail dubbing them a “terrifying threat from America’s Muslim capital.”

The Dearborn area is home to the highest concentration of Muslims in America, and the city became the first with an Arab-majority in the country in 2023 when 55% of residents claimed Middle Eastern or North African ancestry, according to U.S. Census data.

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While most have traditionally voted for the Democratic Party, a large number shifted to support President Donald Trump in the 2024 election over frustrations with the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration’s approach to the conflict in Gaza. Others campaigned to “Abandon Harris.”

The issue played a significant role in Trump’s victory in Michigan, winning the state and where he prevailed over Harris in Dearborn.

“We, as Muslims, stand with President Trump because he promises peace, not war,” Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi said at a Trump rally in October. “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.”

The controversial comments in February isn’t the first time Michigan Muslims have called for death to America and Israel, with previous incidents documented at protests for Palestine at the University of Michigan, and at rallies in Dearborn.

What, if anything, state or federal officials may do about it remains unclear.

While Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has pursued criminal charges against some pro-Palestinian protestors at UM, and has repeatedly launched legal challenges centered on federal issues, her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the threats in Dearborn.

Folks weighing in online, meanwhile, are offering solutions.

“I have a tough time understanding this,” one X user posted. “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?”

“If you’re not happy here, go home!” another wrote.

“@DHSgov might want to track this guy down,” yet another posted.