New York City Mayor Eric Adams appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Monday and accused the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) of calling for the extermination of Jewish people.
Now many in the organization are accusing him of defamation.
During the segment, host Joe Scarborough asked Adams whether all city and state leaders can be unified and speak out against anti-semitism like Adams has. Adams started his answer by saying some city leaders don’t have the consistency he has when it comes to standing up for the rights of individuals before attacking DSA.
“While our Jewish brothers and sisters were mourning the immediate aftermath of the slaughter that we saw in Israel, that, you had the DSA and others carrying swastikas and calling for the extermination of Jewish people,” Adams said (at around the 3:17 mark). “That’s not acceptable.”
An Adams spokesperson told City and State New York the mayor was referring to a Palestinian solidarity rally that was held in Times Square on Oct. 8., one day after the Hamas attacks on Israel. The event received significant media attention as a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation made insensitive comments concerning Israeli victims of the attacks.
According to City and State, the rally was organized and sponsored by a bevy of leftist and pro-Palestinian groups, including the Palestinian Youth Movement, Party for Socialism and Liberation, New York for Palestine, The People’s Forum, and American Muslims for Palestine.
The DSA did tweet the location, date, and time of the rally adding, “In solidarity with the Palestinian people and the right to resist 75 years of occupation and apartheid.”
The organization later deleted the tweet and released a statement apologizing for any confusion concerning its involvement in the event.
“On Saturday, in anticipation of escalatory violence to come, we tweeted a promotion of a rally in solidarity with the people of Palestine,” the group tweeted. “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. We are sorry for the confusion our post caused and for not making our values explicit.”
DSA members and Jewish groups have blasted Adams, who is coming off a visits to Mexico, Ecuador, and Columbia, to convince migrants not to come to New York. The DSA is rumored to be considering whether to bring a defamation suit against the mayor for his comments, according to City and State.
RELATED CONTENT: Will NYC Join The Reparations Movement? Mayor Eric Adams Voices Support For Possible Reparations Study Bill