Emily Lemmerman

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.

NYC-DSA organizes pro-terror and anti-Israel rallies and disruptions, including an October 8, 2023, rally one day after Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis.

NYC-DSA uses social media to celebrate Hamas by using the symbol. In a speech posted to Instagram, co-chair Gustavo Gordillo said [00:01:41]: "They make figures like Hamas and, quote unquote, terrorists into effective enemies...The terror comes from the capitalists and their pawns...the terror comes from the fascist governments and their ICE squads."

NYC-DSA's social media also features activists promoting antisemitism and explicit calls for Israel's destruction. They have called to "dismantle" the entire "U.S. capitalist economy" and have promoted hatred of the police, along with demands that police be abolished and disarmed.

NYC-DSA has expressed support for violent criminals and promoted Marxist ideology. As early as 2016, NYC-DSA referred to the U.S. as the "United $nake$ of AmeriKKKa."

NYC-DSA has organized against the "U.S. war machine and imperialism" and expressed support for America's enemies, including Yemen under Houthi rule in 2024 and Iran during America and Israel's war in 2025. NYC-DSA has called to defund the police and U.S. prisons, as well as "dismantle capitalism" as part of its vision for a socialist revolution in America.

Zohran Mamdani has promoted hatred of America and the police, expressed support for America's enemies and glorified indicted terror supporters. He has called to defund the police, organized to abolish the U.S. prison system and rallied his supporters to dismantle capitalism.

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.