Outside a rally on Saturday, pro-Palestinian protesters swarmed and vandalized campaign buses belonging to Democratic lawmakers who have criticized Israel's war efforts against Hamas.
New York Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman, along with Vermont Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, held a rally in the Bronx ahead of Tuesday's New York state primary. Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters reportedly scrawled graffiti on the bus the lawmakers were traveling on as they were leaving the rally. picture Details of the incident were published on social media.
#new york As the AOC/Bernie/Bowman Bronx rally ended, protesters swarmed the campaign buses, defacing them with markers and stickers and chanting “Intifada, Intifada!” and “Genocide Joe must go!”
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“If Bowman and others claim to be on the side of the Palestinian people, then they have a minimum obligation not to support the man we have been protesting for the last nine months, the man who enabled the genocide of the people of Gaza,” said Nerdeen Kiswani, leader of the anti-Israel group Within Our Lifetime. Said New York Post.
According to The Washington Post, the event was aimed at highlighting Bowman's uphill reelection bid and had the theme “Get Out to the Vote,” in which Bowman and his colleagues spoke about their efforts to stop pro-Israel groups from funneling money to opposition campaigns.
But the situation escalated when pro-Palestinian groups already at the rally began swarming the bus as its members prepared to depart. Video of the incident shows protesters climbing over barricades and approaching the bus, yelling slogans including “Genocide Joe” (a reference to President Joe Biden) and “Liberate Palestine.”
A portion of the video released on Saturday shows a busload of Democratic lawmakers being vandalized as it leaves the venue, with Arabic writing and stickers visible on the inside of the bus as it hurriedly makes its way away from the venue.
Bowman is struggling to keep pace in the New York primary. vote According to a FiveThirtyEight poll, Bowman has 31% support, compared with 48% for his Democratic opponent, George Latimer. Bowman has been heavily criticized for setting off a fire alarm at the Capitol in September (some believe it was to delay a floor vote) and for his anti-Israel views.
Bowman's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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