Democratic New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman led the crowd in animated ceasefire chants at a Saturday campaign rally in New York ahead of his Tuesday primary election against a pro-Israel challenger, footage posted to social media shows.
Bowman, along with fellow left-wing lawmakers New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, held a rally in the South Bronx on Saturday to try to generate momentum for the embattled congressman ahead of his primary election against George Latimer, the Democratic executive of Westchester County, New York. While Bowman’s consistent opposition to Israel’s efforts to eliminate Hamas in the Gaza Strip have become a central issue in the race, he nevertheless took to the stage to demand a ceasefire, and riled up the crowd with profane language.
“What am I supposed to do? You’re coming after me, you’re coming after my family, you’re coming after my children. I’m not supposed to fight back? I’m not supposed to fight back?” Bowman yelled into the microphone. “We (are) gonna show them who the fuck we are!” Bowman yelled, before waving his arms to animate the crowd and again exclaiming that “We (are) gonna show them who the fuck we are!” (RELATED: Jamaal Bowman Apparently Asked Jewish Leader For Photo Together To Prove He’s Not Antisemitic)
WATCH:
“I’m not supposed to fight back? We gonna show them, who the fk we are!” Spoke Rep. Bowman along with Rep AOC and Bernie Sanders at a rally in the Bronx as Pro-palestine protesters chant to disrupt the rally.
Video by Ed Quinn Desk@freedomnews.tv to license pic.twitter.com/0UmNJN7FQs
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) June 22, 2024
Bowman also energetically lead the crowd in chants of his last name and “Ceasefire now,” a slogan that has been embraced by activists demanding that Israel stop fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip. During the “Ceasefire now” chants, Bowman picked up a stool that was on the stage and variously raised it in the air and banged it against the platform.
“We are not gonna stand silent while U.S. tax dollars kills (sic) babies, and women and children,” Bowman said at the rally.
With the primary approaching, Bowman — who pulled a fire alarm on Capitol Hill before a crucial vote in September 2023 — is leaning into the “star power” of Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders to try to pull him over the finish line, according to The New York Times. The rally was held in St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx, which is not part of Bowman’s 16th district.
Bowman’s positions on Israel have become one of the most salient issues in the race against Latimer, who Emerson Polling projected to be ahead of the incumbent by 17 percentage points as of June 11, with 21% of respondents still undecided. Latimer has been critical of Bowman’s rhetoric on the Israel-Hamas war, pointing out that Bowman called for a ceasefire within about 72 hours of Hamas’ October 7 attacks during the last debate between the two candidates, according to Jewish News Syndicate.
Bowman also claimed that reports of rape perpetrated by terrorists on October 7 were “propaganda,” but he walked that statement back after the United Nations confirmed that Hamas militants indeed perpetrated acts of sexual violence during the attack, according to Politico.
“It’s about the grace of our humanity, it’s about the love of each other and the love of our humanity. That is what this is about, Bowman said on the stage. “And so, we cannot let [the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)], or anyone else, take our humanity.”
The Bowman campaign did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
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