NYC Democratic Socialists 'Sorry' For Rally Support Amid Israel Attack

NEW YORK CITY — Leaders with the Democratic Socialists of America's New York City chapter apologized for their support of a much-condemned pro-Palestinian rally Sunday in Times Square — a mea culpa that many said came too little too late.

The group's apology came Tuesday after days of harsh criticism, including from prominent DSA-aligned politicians such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for promoting the rally as Hamas killed Israeli civilians.

"We understand why many, including our allies, were shocked by the timing and the tone of this message in a moment of profound fear and grief," the group's statement reads. "We are sorry for the confusion our post caused and for not making our values explicit."

Statement: Peace Now, End Occupation & Apartheidhttps://t.co/GXZ3s3qHXb pic.twitter.com/uWMmQPMRDG
— NYC-DSA 🌹 (@nycDSA) October 10, 2023

But the DSA also chastised critics for choosing to "focus on a rally while ignoring the root causes of violence in the region, the far-right Netanyahu government's escalating human rights violations and explicitly genocidal rhetoric, and the dehumanization of the Palestinian people."

Those points about Palestinians' overall plight were largely lost in the swirl of controversy over the Sunday rally, which critics argued had, at best, implicitly offered support for Hamas' brutal actions.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat, contended the DSA's apology couldn't "even be bothered to mention, much less condemn, Hamas and its mass murder of Jews."

"The DSA, despite the name, is not democratic," he tweeted. "It's despicable, detestable, disgraceful, and disgraced."

Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian rallies have continued in New York City since Saturday, when Hamas struck Israel from Gaza. Aside from a few scuffles, they've been largely free of physical violence themselves.

But the rhetoric at the rallies has been seen as dehumanizing, or worse. Chants of at pro-Palestinian rallies have been interpreted as calling for the destruction of Israel.

And Comptroller Brad Lander retweeted video said to be from a pro-Israel protest in which demonstrators called to "kill" all Palestinians and to "flatten" Gaza.

"Calls for genocide are utterly inconsistent with Jewish values, with basic humanity, and also with any future for Israel as a Jewish & democratic state," he tweeted.

We can & must distinguish between fighting for the safe return of the hostages & going after the Hamas terrorists who conducted brutal murder & kidnapping — and cheering genocide against Palestinians.

Or we risk becoming what we hate. 2/2
— Brad Lander (@bradlander) October 11, 2023