DSA Congressional Candidate Arrested at Anti-Netanyahu Protest as New Crop of Progressive Soon-to-Be House Members March in the Streets

A Democratic candidate for Congress and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, Darializa Avila Chevalier, was arrested on Thursday as she and hundreds of other demonstrators blocked the street to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ms. Avila Chevalier attended the protest alongside other members of the DSA who are poised to win their congressional races in less than six weeks. The demonstration came about as Mr. Netanyahu was delivering his annual address to the United Nations general assembly. As he walked to the podium, dozens of diplomats from other countries walked out of the hall as the Israeli delegation cheered on the prime minister. Before the speech began, Ms. Avila Chevalier — who is all but guaranteed to represent Harlem and the Bronx come January — announced she, several other congressional candidates, New York lawmakers, and a number of celebrities would participate in the protest against Mr. Netanyahu. “I ran for Congress because I am done being told that there is never enough money for our communities while watching our government write blank checks to enact atrocities. Every dollar we spend bombing families in Gaza is a dollar stolen from families in Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, and the Bronx,” Ms. Avila Chevalier said in a statement before the protest on Thursday. “Our communities deserve leaders with an unwavering moral compass, who understand that our shared humanity is sacred, and that fight to build a politics of life even when it is politically costly. If that requires my arrest, so be it,” she wrote. Later, Ms. Avila Chevalier’s campaign posted photos to her X account of the candidate being arrested by the NYPD. “Our government has unlimited funds to arm a genocide against Palestinians but tells us there’s nothing left to feed and house our own people. Stop arming Israel!” her campaign wrote. She was arrested alongside city councilman Chi Ossé and comedian Caleb Hearon as the crowd surrounding them chanted, “Netanyahu: You can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!”Also at the protest were congressional candidates Chris Rabb of Philadelphia and Dr. Adam Hamawy of New Jersey. Mr. Rabb, a state representative, is a member of the DSA, though Mr. Hamawy is not. Dr. Hamawy served as a volunteer doctor in Gaza. “Why does it matter we’re out here today?” Mr. Rabb asked Dr. Hamawy in a video posted to Instagram on Thursday. The two were marching in the street alongside hundreds of other protesters. “Rather than speak as a guest, he should be tried as a war criminal,” Dr. Hamawy said of Mr. Netanyahu. “This is something that millions of Americans agree on,” Mr. Rabb said. “This is an issue that transcends congressional borders.”According to Ms. Avila Chevalier’s campaign, two other congressional candidates also attended the protest. Melat Kiros, a DSA member and the Democratic nominee to represent a deep-blue district centered around Denver, Colorado, made the trip to New York to participate in the protest. Brad Lander, who unseated Congressman Dan Goldman in a Democratic primary to represent lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, participated, as well. Mr. Lander left the DSA after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel.

DSA Congressional Candidate Arrested at Anti-Netanyahu Protest as New Crop of Progressive Soon-to-Be House Members March in the Streets

DSA Congressional Candidate Arrested at Anti-Netanyahu Protest as New Crop of Progressive Soon-to-Be House Members March in the Streets

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