The organizers of Sunday’s pro-Hamas demonstration in Times Square have no regrets.
In a lengthy statement to the Washington Free Beacon, six of the groups behind the All Out for Palestine rally—including American Muslims for Palestine New Jersey, Al-Awda, and the Palestinian Youth Movement—said Hamas’s attacks "shattered the myth of Israeli military invulnerability" and "demonstrated that the status quo ... is fundamentally untenable." The statement went on to say "the challenge now, for all people of conscience, is to meet the current moment with moral clarity."
Left-wing groups’ reactions to the atrocities in Israel have drawn outrage and condemnations from Republicans and Democrats alike. More than 1,200 people have died since Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel Saturday, the worst in the Jewish state’s history. At least 27 Americans are dead, and an undetermined number of Americans are feared to have been taken hostage by Hamas.
Protesters at the Times Square rally chanted various anti-Semitic slogans and applauded Hamas’s attacks. One attendee waved a picture of a Nazi flag on his cellphone.
But such imagery gave its organizers no pause. In their statement, they said "we defend [Hamas’s] fundamental right to resist an illegal occupation, break out of their concentration camp, and defy the cruelty of the sixteen-year Zionist blockade."
"Sunday’s rally, alongside similar protests across the world, are expressions of an interna-tional [sic] spirit of solidarity that unites us across our differences," the groups said.
The Democratic Socialists of America’s New York City chapter, which also promoted the event, did not sign onto the statement given to the Free Beacon. But the group issued its own statement saying it was "sorry for the confusion" the rally caused.
"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 statement said.
One ally, Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar (Mich.), renounced his lifetime membership to the DSA following the event, saying the "hate-filled and anti-Semitic rally" made it "impossible" for him to maintain an affiliation with the socialist group.
The Israeli government on Thursday released photos of the charred bodies of babies murdered by Hamas. At least 447 children have been killed in the attacks.