A far-left candidate for New York’s 13th Congressional District is a co-founder of a group advocating for the “complete eradication of Western civilization.”
Daria Lisa Avila Chevalier, who is 32 years old and identifies as a socialist, was supported by New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani in his victory over incumbent Congressman Adriano Espaillat during the Democratic primary on Tuesday night.
Avila Chevalier graduated from Columbia University in 2016 and helped establish Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which has been leading protests on university campuses and plans for further actions in 2024.
CUAD’s social media account was deleted, following a period of promoting its radical viewpoints before its removal.
The organization stated, “We are Western peoples fighting for the complete eradication of Western civilization. We stand in full solidarity with all movements for the liberation of the Global South. Our intifada is an internationalist one, and we are fighting for the liberation of all peoples. We reject all genocidal and eugenic regimes that seek to undermine the character of colonized peoples.”
CUAD also mentioned it awaits “instructions from extremists in the Global South” to challenge the “imperialist world order.”
Other views held by Avila Chevalier include the belief that “deportation is all wrong,” which was highlighted in a podcast where Vox Media’s Astead Herndon argued that it’s unjust to deport undocumented immigrants, even those convicted of serious crimes. She has also referred to America as a “terrible disgrace.”
The district represented by Espaillat includes portions of Upper Manhattan and the West Bronx and has not seen a Republican representative since 2010. Avila Chevalier is expected to represent the party in the 120th Congress.
