Cerena Ermitanio

On October 7, 2023, Ermitanio posted on X, referring to Israel: "...the occupation is the provocation" in response to another post on X that said: "This morning, the terror group Hamas began an unprovoked and deadly assault on Israel..."

On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped hundreds and wounded thousands. War crimes included mass rape and torture. Many Palestinian civilians participated in and supported the attacks, and Gazans working in the targeted Israeli communities gave intelligence to Hamas on where to strike.

For more information, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.

On October 9, 2023, while Ermitanio was a DSA member, the group posted on Instagram a statement that said [slide 1]: "DSA is steadfast in expressing our solidarity with Palestine. / Today’s events are a direct result of Israel’s apartheid regime—a regime that receives billions in funding from the United States. / End the violence. End the Occupation. Free Palestine."

“Free Palestine” is a chant that has been described as a "battle cry for the death of Jews.” In May 2025, two Israeli diplomats in Washington, D.C., were murdered by a gunman shouting “Free Palestine!” In June 2025, one pro-Israel activist was killed and over 25 were injured in Boulder, Colorado, when a man yelling “Free Palestine” firebombed them.

The statement further read [slide 2], referring to Hamas' October 7, 2023 terror attack: "...This was not unprovoked. / For over 60 years, Palestinians have faced ethnic cleansing, torture, bombings, and housing demolitions. Gaza is still under a blockade."

Israel and Egypt implemented a UN-approved [pp. 39–41] joint blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2011 to stop Hamas from acquiring more sophisticated rockets. Hamas went around the blockade by smuggling weaponry through tunnels under the Philadelphi corridor separating Gaza from Egypt.

On August 17, 2025, Ermitanio posted on X, referring to the U.S. as "amerikkka."

The term “Amerikkka” uses the initials of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as a way to demonize America as “fascist or racist.”

On July 15, 2025, Ermitanio posted on X, comparing American president Donald Trump and vice president JD Vance to the Nazis.

On October 14, 2023, Ermitanio posted on X: "amazing chant from Houston’s action for Palestine: 'from Palestine to Philippines—end the US war machine!' ."

On June 12, 2021, Ermitanio posted on X: "...we ought to reiterate the foundation of policing in protecting capital, from slave patrols to breaking labor strikes. police have nothing to do with safety for the working class & everything to do with safety for the capital class..."

On June 4, 2020, Ermitanio posted on X: "...defund campus police..."

As of August 2025, Ermitanio's background photo on X showed a banner with text that said: "FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE..."

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” is a chant used [00:02:47] to call for the elimination of the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state. In April 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning the chant as antisemitic.

On November 24, 2023, Ermitanio posted on X: "no business as usual while the US funds genocide! end the siege, end the Israeli occupation, free Palestine ."

On December 19, 2023, Ermitanio posted on X, accusing Israel of committing a "genocide of Palestinians."

On January 13, 2024, during Israel's war against Hamas terrorists and their allies, DSA posted on X: "DSA demands an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities by the US against Yemen and an end to military support of Israel..."

Following the outbreak of Israel’s 2023 war against Hamas, Houthi terrorists attacked commercial ships off Yemen’s Red Sea coast and launched missiles into southern Israel. Like Hamas, the Houthi movement is backed by Iran, and is designated as a terror group by the United States, Saudi Arabia and other countries.

The Houthi slogan reads: “God is the Greatest / Death to America / Death to Israel / A Curse Upon the Jews / Victory to Islam.”

On November 2, 2024, while Ermitanio was a DSA member, the group posted on X: "Cuba’s resilience is legendary, but the U.S. blockade’s toll is relentless...Join our campaign to stand with Cuba..."

On October 22, 2020, DSA posted on X: "Russia is not the problem. China is not the problem. The problem is a global system of capitalism..."

On March 11, 2024, while Ermitanio was a DSA member, the group posted on X: "'For decades, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has been a hawkish, warmongering, and bullying force in U.S. politics.'"

The stated mission of AIPAC is to “strengthen, protect and promote the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel.”

The implication that AIPAC buys political support for Israel has been described as playing into “anti-Semitic tropes” that led to “centuries of stereotypes about Jews using money to control the world.”

On June 25, 2024, Ermitanio shared on X a post from Bread & Roses DSA detailing their 2024 YDSA convention resolutions and wrote: "laying the groundwork for a national student strike for Palestine within our lifetime ."

On May 11, 2024, Ermitanio posted on X: "i’m one of many UT System alumni withholding donations to UT and demanding amnesty for campus protestors and divestment from genocide!...join us and sign the UT System Alumni for Justice in Palestine petition here..."

Ermitanio joined the University of Texas YDSA (UT YDSA) and Austin DSA in 2018. Ermitanio became the co-chair of UT YDSA in 2019.

In 2020-2021, Ermitanio served on YDSA's National Coordinating Committee (NCC) and as the YDSA representative for Austin DSA.

In 2022, Ermitanio became a member of Houston DSA and was elected the co-chair of Houston DSA's Labor Working Group in 2024.

On August 1, 2025, Ermitanio posted on Instagram a photo of Ermitanio next to a cutout of Mamdani.

On July 10, 2025, Ermitanio posted on X: "zohmentum has hit another dsa chapter @HoustonDSA." The post included a photo of Ermitanio and another DSA member next to a cutout of Mamdani.

On July 1, 2025, Ermitanio posted on X: "...Zohran’s win is the product of working class organization, not his platform alone."

Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is America’s largest socialist organization. Its core ideology includes anti-American, anti-Israel, anti-Western and abolitionist elements.

Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks against Israel, DSA condemned Israel, expressed support for Hamas, endorsed anti-Israel rallies and called for members to engage in anti-Israel activism. It condemned Israeli retaliatory attacks against the IRGC and Hezbollah, as well as the U.S. attacks against the Houthi terror organization, whose slogan reads: "...Death to America / Death to Israel / A Curse upon the Jews...”

DSA first endorsed the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement in 2017 and it has also condemned sanctions against countries like Iran and Cuba.

The group endorses far-left politicians on the local, state and federal levels. DSA also promotes anti-Israel agitators, including DSA members Rashida Tlaib, Zohran Mamdani and Linda Sarsour.

Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), DSA’s youth section active in high schools and colleges, has co-organized anti-Israel protests across the U.S. since October 7, 2023, particularly the April 2024 pro-terror encampments on university campuses.

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by pro-terror activist Omar Barghouti in 2005 to turn “Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.” Barghouti has also called for Israel's destruction and the BDS movement demands would result in that same goal.

BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.

The movement’s most notable achievement has been infiltrating university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments propose resolutions to boycott or divestment from Israel or Israeli-affiliated entities. BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents and pro-terror activism on campus.

Justifying Hamas Terrorism

Hatred of America

Hatred of the Police

Calling for Israel's Destruction

Hatred of Israel

DSA - Praising America's Enemies

DSA - Spreading Anti-Semitism

Ermitanio's Anti-Israel Activism & Support for BDS

Ermitanio's DSA Activism & Support for Mamdani

Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)

The BDS Movement

Social Media and Weblinks