Controversial Statements by Congressional Candidate
Dalializa Avila Chevalier, a leftist candidate running for Congress and known to be an ally of Mayor Zoran Mamdani, recently stated that the U.S. has committed atrocities worse than those of Hamas.
This claim emerged during a response to a Twitter post from June 2021, which was two years prior to Hamas’s violent actions against Israeli civilians on October 7th. Chevalier expressed agreement with a statement suggesting that America’s “senseless violence” was not comparable to what Hamas might do.
In her tweet, she noted, “Only one nuclear-armed state has ever used this much force,” likely referencing the atomic bombings of Japan in World War II.
Approximately two minutes later, she elaborated, saying, “You know, not to mention the countless other forms in which colonial violence is enacted.”
Hamas is recognized widely as a terrorist group, known for suicide bombings and its denial of Israel’s right to exist, according to sources like the Council on Foreign Relations.
Chevalier is backed by the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialist Party of America and is presenting herself as a challenger in the upcoming primary for New York’s 13th District, which includes northern Manhattan and parts of the western Bronx. She’s aiming to unseat long-standing Democratic incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat.
She has previously faced criticism for other provocative comments she made on social media.
On October 8, 2023, just a day after the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, Chevalier was present at a controversial rally in Times Square where some demonstrators celebrated the violence, and swastikas were displayed. This event raised eyebrows, even prompting remarks from fellow leftist representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who expressed her horror and disapproval.
Previously, Chevalier had made headlines for another contentious tweet in 2019, where she accused black and Arab men of “fetishizing ugly colonial women” after posting a photo of an interracial couple.
Additionally, she promoted a conspiracy theory claiming that COVID-19 originated in France, aligning with misleading narratives from Chinese Communist Party sources. The general consensus, however, is that the virus originated in Wuhan, China.
In another controversial statement, she labeled former President Joe Biden a “rapist,” referring back to allegations from a former Senate aide about an incident in 1993, which Biden has strongly denied and for which he has never been charged.
Espaillat, in response to Chevalier’s comments, released an attack ad questioning her readiness for leadership. Chevalier and her team have not yet responded to these developments.
