Amin Husain is not simply an artist or academic—he is a self-proclaimed revolutionary who has publicly glorified violence, supported terrorism, and incited chaos in the name of Palestinian “liberation.” Though no longer teaching at NYU, his legacy and influence continue to ripple across activist circles and university campuses, as he merges direct action with anti-Israel hate and anti-police extremism.
Glorifying Terrorism and Political Violence
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Openly bragged in a 2016 interview about throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails during the First Intifada, stating: “I was fighting in the first uprising.”
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At a 2020 Brooklyn rally, Husain praised the burning of police precincts and NYPD vehicles:
“When I saw that precinct burn, I thought I was closer to Palestine… They know that we will f*cking free Palestine!”
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Equates NYPD with enemies of Palestine, urging followers never to speak to law enforcement and calling them “the enemy.”
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Described Israel’s existence as illegitimate and praised Intifada-style resistance at rallies and teach-ins across NYC.
Strategic, Calculated Activism
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Co-founded “Decolonize This Place”, an anarchist collective responsible for a 2020 subway sabotage, which shut down transit, vandalized stations with “F–k Cops,” and caused over $100,000 in damage.
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Participated in dropping a 90-ft “Boycott Israel” banner off the Manhattan Bridge, planning the operation to avoid federal terrorism charges—bragging in an interview:
“We studied the NYPD and terrorism laws… and we never got caught.”
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Co-created and helped lead Direct Action Front for Palestine (DAFP), promoting coordinated radicalism and pressure campaigns under the guise of liberation activism.
Academia as a Weapon
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Former adjunct professor at NYU (joined in 2015) until suspended for inflammatory statements related to Israel and Gaza.
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Regularly invited as a guest speaker at universities, where he spreads violent anti-Israel rhetoric disguised as academic theory, often collaborating with Nitasha Dhillon under the banner “MTL.”
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In a recorded lecture for the group “Learning Palestine,” Husain declared:
“Nation-states don’t have rights. Israel doesn’t have the right to exist.”
Antisemitic and Anti-Zionist Propaganda
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Refers to Zionism as racist, colonial, and violent—pushing the dehumanizing claim that Jewish self-determination is equivalent to white supremacy and occupation.
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Joined and promoted the Strike MoMA protests, targeting art institutions and Jewish funders for their alleged connections to Israel.
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Celebrates Hamas-aligned language, calling for “intifada in every language” and connecting Black liberation, Indigenous resistance, and Palestinian armed struggle.
Bottom Line
Amin Husain is a clear and present danger to academic environments and civil society. His statements glorify terrorism, encourage violence against police and Jews, and treat destruction as a justified political tool. His role in campus radicalization—especially at NYU—cannot be ignored. Husain represents the violent fringe of academia’s activist culture and must be permanently barred from teaching or influencing students under the pretense of scholarship.
