Bangladesh’s former interim government chief adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, was reportedly confronted by several people who shouted slogans and made derogatory remarks at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York. A video of the incident has circulated on social media, showing individuals directing accusations at the Nobel Peace Prize laureate as he left the terminal.
Yunus arrived in New York from Doha on a Qatar Airways flight on Monday, 12 October, local time. The incident reportedly took place as he was being taken out of Terminal 8 in a wheelchair. Several Bangladeshi expatriates were said to have approached him and voiced their objections to his role in Bangladesh.
In the video circulating online, several people can be heard shouting slogans including “You are a terrorist”, “You killed Bangladeshis”, “Go back” and “You destroy democracy”. One individual also accused Yunus of being responsible for the deaths of thousands of police officers.
The footage shows the individual repeatedly questioning why Yunus had travelled to the United States. The protester alleged that people had been killed in Bangladesh under Yunus’s leadership and challenged him over his decision to visit the country. The individual also accused him of undermining democracy and overseeing the arrest of large numbers of people.
However, the allegations made during the confrontation have not been independently verified. While the video captures the slogans and accusations directed at Yunus, it does not establish the accuracy of the claims. The remarks should therefore be treated as allegations made by the protesters rather than confirmed facts.
At one point, security personnel moved Yunus away from the area. According to accounts from witnesses, members of his accompanying party also helped take him to a safer location. The available information does not establish whether anyone was injured or whether the confrontation prompted any further security measures at the airport.
The identities of the individuals involved remain unconfirmed. It is also unclear what specifically prompted the protest, whether it had been organised in advance, or whether those involved were acting independently. No immediate statement was available from Yunus or his representatives regarding the incident.
Yunus, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work in pioneering microcredit through Grameen Bank, became the head of Bangladesh’s interim government in August 2024, following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government. His administration subsequently became the subject of intense political debate, with supporters and critics expressing sharply contrasting views about its decisions and performance.
The airport confrontation highlights how political divisions surrounding Bangladesh can also be expressed within expatriate communities. Public appearances by prominent political figures can become occasions for supporters and opponents to voice their views, although the specific motivations behind this particular incident have yet to be established.
Further information from those involved, witnesses and relevant authorities would be needed to clarify the circumstances surrounding the confrontation. Until independently verified evidence or official statements become available, the allegations made in the video should not be treated as established findings.
