A massive protest rally was held on Sunday, May 11, 2025, at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights, New York, condemning the recent decision by the authoritarian, unelected, and unconstitutional government of Dr. Muhammad Yunus to ban all activities of the Bangladesh Awami League, a historic party that led the country’s liberation war.
The demonstration was organized by the US Awami League, Awami Family, allied organizations, and a wide range of social, cultural, human rights, and diaspora groups. Protesters labeled the ban as illegal and an attack on democratic values.
The rally was presided over by Dr. Pradeep Ranjan Kar, a senior advisor to the US Awami League and former GS of BAKSU, and conducted by Engineer Mohammad Ali Siddiqui, Office Secretary of the US Awami League.
Among the prominent speakers were senior journalist and US Awami League advisor Hakikul Islam Khokon, Legal Affairs Secretary Advocate Shah Md. Bakhtiar Ali, former Upazila Chairman Gias Uddin, former Press Minister at the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington AZM Sajjadur Rahman Sobuj, Awami League leaders Akhtar Hossain, Helal Mahmud, freedom fighter Moyazzem Hossain Masud, NY State Awami League General Secretary Shaheen Azmal, Vice Presidents Shakhawat Ali and Abul Kashem Bhuiyan, Women’s League Joint Secretary Rumana Akhtar, and leaders of the US Chhatra League including Shahidul Islam, Jahangir H. Mia, Md. Razzak, Md. Helal, Sultan Mohammad, Khandaker Zahidul Islam, and Shah Mahin.
Following the speeches, protesters marched through the streets of Jackson Heights with thunderous slogans like “Joy Bangla,” “Joy Bangabandhu,” and “Joy Sheikh Hasina,” reverberating through the area.
During the protest, speakers fiercely condemned the ban on the Awami League, calling it a “black day” in Bangladesh’s history. They stated that such actions from a government without public mandate prove that Dr. Yunus’s fascist regime aims to turn Bangladesh into a breeding ground for anti-liberation and extremist forces.
They emphasized:
“Banning the Awami League means exiling the ideals of the Liberation War and encouraging the blatant rise of anti-independence forces. This decision has outraged not only the people of Bangladesh but also the global diaspora.”
Speakers warned that history shows the Awami League has always returned stronger in the face of oppression. They described the current crisis as a grand conspiracy by defeated forces of 1971 and foreign collaborators to destabilize Bangladesh and erase its foundational spirit.
Many accused Dr. Yunus of using state power to settle personal scores, labeling the ban as part of a larger authoritarian design. They said,
“If a puppet government run by opportunistic student leaders and religious extremists dares to ban the oldest political party of the country, it signals the alarming rise of fascism in Bangladesh.”
Drawing parallels to Nazi Germany, speakers cautioned that ignoring such authoritarian overreach could lead to further democratic backsliding.
The rally ended with a strong message:
“We, the global Bangladeshi diaspora, unequivocally reject and condemn the fascist regime’s ban on the Awami League. We stand united in defense of democracy, secularism, and the spirit of our Liberation War.”