A left-wing favorite in the race for a hotly contested New York congressional seat is facing scrutiny over her views on foreign policy after coming out in support of the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement.
Yuh-Line Niou, a state assemblywoman and Democratic candidate for New York’s newly reconfigured 10th Congressional District, announced her “support” of BDS in an interview published on Monday.
“I believe in the right to protest as a fundamental tenet of western democracy, so I do support BDS,” Niou told Jewish Insider.
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The BDS movement advocates severing economic and diplomatic ties with Israel, with the ultimate goal of eliminating Israel’s modern character as a Jewish state. While proponents of the movement see it as modeled off the international campaign to pressure South Africa to end apartheid in the 1980s, critics often accuse BDS of unfairly singling out Israel and of being inherently antisemitic.
While some on the Left have grown increasingly outspoken in their support of BDS, the majority of Democrats in Congress do not support the movement. Just 17 members of the 435-member House of Representatives opposed a 2019 resolution condemning efforts to boycott Israel, and Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) are the only two incumbent House Democrats to support BDS publicly.
Niou’s comments drew swift pushback from rival candidates and members of her own party. Kalman Yeger, a Democratic New York City councilman whose council district overlaps with the 10th Congressional District, slammed Niou’s support of BDS as “extremist antisemitic positioning” in a tweet. Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres, a prominent supporter of Israel who represents parts of the Bronx in Congress, also criticized Niou’s support for BDS, describing the movement as “sinister” and “eliminationist.” And Brian Robinson, a rival Democratic candidate in the 10th District race who is Jewish, seemingly equated Niou’s support for BDS with support for Nazis.
Extremist antisemitic positioning from a candidate who wants to represent Borough Park in the U.S. Congress:
‘I do support BDS’: @yuhline Niou lays out her Middle East policy approach https://t.co/mpNOi6YznK
— Kalman Yeger (@KalmanYeger) July 11, 2022
BDS is not merely a “protest.” It takes the sinister position that Israel should no longer exist as a Jewish state.
It’s an eliminationist movement at its core, one that should itself be protested by any public official professing a concern for peace. https://t.co/CU8Sn587ki
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) July 11, 2022
So @yuhline the right to protest is a valid enough rationale to support a blatant exercise in modern day antisemitism? Yes, people have “the right to protest”, but Fed Reps need to have the ability to use judgement. The Nazis protested Jews too. All good? https://t.co/2BaIWpVtWv
— Brian Robinson 羅秉新 (@votebrian) July 11, 2022
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Niou has positioned herself as the Left’s standard-bearer in the race, touting endorsements from groups including the Working Families Party and the Sunrise Movement. She has also been endorsed by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. The Washington Examiner asked Wu’s office if she stood by her endorsement of Niou in the wake of the pro-BDS comments and asked if Wu supported BDS, but did not receive a response.
Niou also did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment. She faces a slate of high-profile Democratic candidates in the Aug. 23 primary for the 10th Congressional District, tantamount to election in November since the seat covers some of the bluest enclaves in the country, including lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn.
Democratic candidates include Rep. Mondaire Jones, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, ex-Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman, and Dan Goldman, House Democrats’ lead counsel during the first impeachment of President Donald Trump.
