US Congressman quits Democratic Socialists of America membership over 'antisemitic' rally in NY

Democratic Representative Shri Thanedar of Michigan has decided to sever ties with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in the wake of the controversial "All out for Palestine" rally promoted by the DSA's New York City chapter.The Democratic Socialists of America is the largest socialist organisation in the United States. The group has more than 92,000 members and has chapters in all 50 US states.

The rally, held in New York's Times Square, expressed its support for Palestinian territories after an attack by the Islamist militant group Hamas on Israel. Thanedar announced this move through a statement posted on social media X.

Despite disassociating himself from the DSA, Thanedar saidthat his core values remained unchanged and that he remains committed to pursuing causes such as universal healthcare and strong labour unions, which are among the DSA's priorities.

However, he also noted that his departure from the organisation was a choice he made in order to prevent the fanning of "the flames of hatred," media reports said.

Controversial rally promotion and DSA apology

The "All out for Palestine" rally took place on a Sunday (Oct 8), with the New York DSA chapter promoting the event shortly after Hamas's attack on Israel. This promotion, made via a now-deleted post, garnered widespread condemnation.

Following the uproar, the local DSA chapter issued an apology. They acknowledged that there was "confusion" caused by their promotion.

Moreover, it also explained that they had posted information about the rally "in solidarity with the people of Palestine".

The DSA chapter condemned civilian deaths and expressed regret for not explicitly stating their values.

They also clarified that they didn't organise the rally but had promoted it on behalf of an unnamed "coalition partner" in the name of equality and justice for both Palestinians and Israelis.

“After the brutal terrorist attacks on Israel, which included the indiscriminate murder, rape and kidnapping of innocent men, women and children, I can no longer associate with an organization unwilling to call out terrorism in all its forms,” Thanedar said in the statement.

Israel-Hamas war

The war in Israel was triggered by Hamas'attack and subsequent Israeli military counteractions. It has since resulted in a high death toll on both sides.The situation escalated quickly, with over 1,200 Israeli and over 1,000 Palestinian casualties.

While the New York DSA promoted the rally, no DSA-affiliated elected officials attended the event, as per Politico. Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul also condemned the rally and termed it "abhorrent and morally repugnant".

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

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