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Trump Tower draws protesters, supporters of president on Fourth of July

CAIR-NY supporters clashed with pro-Trump supporters at Trump Tower on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in New York.
CAIR-NY supporters clashed with pro-Trump supporters at Trump Tower on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 in New York. Photo Credit: Getty Images / Eduardo Munoz Alvarez

A Fourth of July teach-in at Trump Tower devolved into a back-and-forth between attendees and counterprotesters on Tuesday.

A handful of supporters of President Donald Trump attended, though the focus of the event — hosted on the fifth-floor garden by the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations — was immigration reform. Dozens of attendees shared their personal stories and struggles.

William, who declined to give his last name, said he arrived in New York on Nov. 9, 2016, a Jewish man seeking asylum from his home country of Iran.

“I share the same pain as many other refugees,” he said. “I came here to pursue a better life, like many others who are running from wars and massacres. I came here because I was running from a regime that does not recognize my Jewish identity.”

Yusuf Abdul-Qadir, the chapter director of the central New York chapter of the NYCLU, said he was at Trump Tower to “celebrate what truly makes America great.”

“It is unfortunate that we have to stand here today on the birthday of our country to talk about hatred and bigotry in order to overcome the challenges that we’ve historically endured as a nation,” Abdul-Qadir said. “But it won’t stop today — our ability to have resolve won’t stop today.”

At one point an ardent supporter of Trump, clutching patriotic balloons and decked out in red, white and blue, began chanting “USA! USA!” In a short-lived show of solidarity, all in attendance chanted briefly with her.

Adam Deckman, 44, of Long Island, said he has no problem with people coming to the country legally, but he believes the government needs to know who is coming in.

“They have their opinion, they’re entitled to it. I’m not on their side,” he said. “I don’t think they think it through too much.”

Later, about two dozen protesters marched up to the building’s entrance on Fifth Avenue, yelling anti-fascist chants. A few Trump supporters, already stationed outside, quickly confronted them. The confrontation on the fifth floor was mirrored on the street below.