The Democratic Socialists of America, which boasts six U.S. House of Representatives as members, held a pro-“Palestine” rally in New York City’s Times Square on Sunday, a day after Hamas launched a surprise attack that killed as many as 700 Israelis and wounded thousands, in addition to dragging hostages, including women and children, from Israel and into the Gaza Strip.
The demonstration started at 1 p.m. near 42nd Street and Broadway. Several hundred protesters attended, chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a slogan calling for Israel’s destruction.
Among the placards they carried: “When people are occupied, resistance is justified,” “Free all Palestinian prisoners,” “End all U.S. aid to apartheid Israel” and “Smash the settler Zionist state.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the rally in a statement on Saturday night.
“The people of Israel are facing violent terrorist attacks and civilian kidnappings. I condemn plans to rally in Times Square tomorrow in support of the perpetrators of these horrific actions. The planned rally is abhorrent and morally repugnant,” Hochul tweeted.
The New York City chapter of Democratic Socialists of America had announced the rally in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “In solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to resist 75 years of occupation and apartheid.”
In a series of tweets, the DSA held Israel responsible for the carnage, saying, “Today’s events are a direct result of Israel’s apartheid regime—a regime that receives billions in funding from the United States.”
Most members of the “Squad” belong to the DSA organization. They include Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Greg Casar (D-Texas) are also members.
Rep. Summer Lee (D-Penn.), also considered a member of the Squad, whose ranks now number eight, left the DSA’s Pittsburgh chapter after disagreements in 2021. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), another Squad member, was endorsed by the Boston chapter of the DSA but doesn’t identify as socialist.
The rally is the latest event connecting the Squad to outright antisemitism. Ocasio-Cortez is a bitter critic of Israel, referring to the “occupation of Palestine” and during the 2018 Hamas-organized Gaza border riots accusing Israel of a “massacre.”
In 2020, she praised the support of at least 10 antisemitic groups for a letter issued by her and signed by other Democrats opposed to Israel’s possible annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria.
Omar in 2019 famously tweeted, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby” in reference to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Jewish leverage through money, and has accused Israel of “hypnotizing” the world. She also sponsored a U.S. House resolution equating boycotting Israelis to boycotting Nazis.
That year, Omar was voted “Antisemite of the Year” in a poll sponsored by the watchdog group StopAntisemitism.
