New York, New York - Hundreds of demonstrators staged a protest in New York's Trump Tower Thursday in support of the Palestinians and detained Palestinian student campaigner Mahmoud Khalil.

They overran the Manhattan landmark where Donald Trump memorably road down a golden escalator in 2015 to announce his first run for president, simultaneously revealing matching red T-shirts emblazoned "Jews say stop arming Israel."

Several people marching under the banner of the group called Jewish Voice for Peace were detained by police, an AFP correspondent saw, although police did not immediately confirm any arrests.

The group, which apparently caught security and police off guard, chanted, "Fight Nazis, not students," a reference to Trump's crackdown on foreign students involved in Palestinian solidarity protests.

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Officers arrested Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil over the weekend, accusing him of harboring pro-Hamas views during protests at New York's Columbia University against Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza, which began after the Palestinian group's attack in Israel in October 2023.

He is currently detained and facing deportation for allegedly undermining US foreign policy – a case critics say is chilling for free speech.

Filmmaker and Columbia Professor James Schamus told AFP, "New York Jews are coming out to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil and demand that our Jewishness not be weaponized to steal the rights of American citizens and to end our democracy."

"The Trump-Musk regime has made it clear that they are not charging Mahmoud Khalil with any crime, that they are accusing him of having opinions that they say 'align with Hamas'," he added ahead of the protest action.

Confused tourists visiting the gold and pink marble-decorated skyscraper took pictures and milled around as police attempted to clear protesters, with an officer delivering a large box of MaxCuff plastic cable ties.

"It was suspicious when all these people came in, and none went to the restaurant," said a Trump Tower employee who declined to be named.

The latest demonstration follows a rally in New York's Foley Square on Wednesday, where hundreds of protestors called for Khalil's immediate release.