al-Quds Day (Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem), officially called International Quds Day, is an annual event held on the last Friday of Ramadan. 

Initiated by the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini following the 1979 revolution, the date is used to express support for the Palestinians, the destruction of Israel, Jews and the US., and calls for violence and terror attacks on both nations.

al-Quds Day rallies are typically marked by chants of "Death to Israel", Death to America", waving of the flag of the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah, burning of the American flag, violence, destruction of property and disruption of traffic and commerce.

This year, al-Quds Day rallies and demonstrations are scheduled for Friday and Saturday in such locations as New York, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, London, Melbourne, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, and dozens of other cities. 

In recent years there has been growing participation by a wide variety of leftist groups, including the Workers World Party, MoveOn, Antifa, Color of Change and others.

In light of President Trump's recent public recognition of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, and more significantly, the movement of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14, al-Quds Day rallies this year have significant potential for added violence.

AlertsUSA strongly recommends monitoring local media in your area and avoiding the rallies.

Those traveling abroad should also monitor the website and social media accounts of the nearest U.S. Embassy for updates.