Horowitz v. AJP Educational Foundation
Documentarian Sues American Muslims for Palestine and National Students for Justice in Palestine for Inciting Violent Assault at City College of New York Protest
New York City – The Dhillon Law Group has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Ami Horowitz, a documentarian and civil rights activist, against the AJP Educational Foundation, doing business as American Muslims for Palestine, and National Students for Justice in Palestine.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, seeks to hold these organizations accountable for their role in orchestrating and inciting a violent attack against Horowitz at a protest encampment at City College of New York.
The complaint alleges that on April 26, 2024, Horowitz was “mobbed and beaten by radical terror supporters” at the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on the CUNY campus, a violent response triggered simply by his presence holding an American flag.
According to the lawsuit, AMP and NSJP organized and directed the encampment, mobilizing their network of campus activists to violently suppress dissent and target perceived enemies.
“Free speech and the right to peaceably assemble are the cornerstones of our democracy. However, when these rights are weaponized to commit violence and intimidation, those responsible must be held to account,” Horowitz said. “I refuse to stand by as extremist groups import terror tactics to American campuses and use our universities as battlegrounds for their violent agendas.”
The complaint describes how AMP and NSJP coordinate hundreds of student chapters and affiliates across the United States as part of a centrally managed, nationwide activist network.
The lawsuit claims that AMP and NSJP have worked together to cultivate a climate of intimidation and violence on college campuses, training their chapters to disrupt campus life, physically confront opponents, and engage in violent and unlawful protests designed to overwhelm and shut down academic institutions.
According to the lawsuit, this campaign was launched in coordination with Hamas following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 terrorist attack against Israel, when AMP and NSJP allegedly mobilized their chapters and affiliates to engage in coordinated protests glorifying the attack, disrupting campus operations, and targeting Jewish students for harassment.
The complaint claims that AMP and NSJP developed and distributed “toolkits” to their chapters that included templates for pro-Hamas propaganda, slogans glorifying violence, and tactical guides for disrupting campus activities.
The protestors who allegedly assaulted Horowitz for holding an American flag at the City College of New York encampment are alleged to have been members and associates of NSJP chapters and affiliates at CUNY and Columbia University.
The complaint claims that these chapters and affiliates were acting on orders from AMP and NSJP to physically resist perceived threats to their encampment, which was part of a broader strategic effort to pressure universities into adopting AMP and NSJP’s demands for divestment from Israel and severing U.S. support for the Jewish state.
“AMP and NSJP have crossed a line by turning our universities into fronts for violent political agitation, and they must be held accountable for the harm they have caused,” said Matthew Sarelson, partner at Dhillon Law Group. “This lawsuit seeks to restore order and safety to our academic institutions and hold those responsible for this orchestrated violence accountable. We intend to prove that AMP and NSJP systematically incited and coordinated the very violence that put our client’s life in jeopardy.”
The lawsuit claims that the attack on Horowitz is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader pattern of violent intimidation orchestrated by AMP and NSJP.
The complaint outlines years of alleged misconduct, including the creation and dissemination of materials glorifying Hamas’s October 7th attack and the encouragement of violent resistance to law enforcement, physical confrontations with perceived “threats,” and the intimidation of pro-Israel and Jewish students on campuses across the United States.
To support this lawsuit and other efforts to combat extremism on college campuses, donations can be made to the Magen Project at the Restore the America Dream Foundation (RAD). To learn more, visit www.rad-america.org.
