NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani began his political career by joining the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) because of his pro-Palestinian activism, the New York State assemblyman told a 2021 conference, where he also expressed his commitment to his socialist objectives and to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) anti-Israel strategy.
Mamdani told a 2021 Young Democratic Socialists of America Winter Conference that co-founding the Bowdoin College Students for Justice in Palestine chapter and anti-Israel BDS activism were the “crux of the reason” why he “joined the DSA.”
“The reason that I joined the DSA, if I had to pick one, was because there was no exception for Palestine, because the same fight, the same struggle was understood to be a universal one,” said Mamdani, based on a YouTube video of the event.
“And this was an organization that not only understood that, but sought to lift what was going on in Palestine by endorsing the BDS,” he continued.
“So, I’m in this organization because we didn’t just pick and choose the battles that everyone was ready for in this very moment, but because we picked and chose the battles that were right and that are extensions of the values that we have as socialists.
“And so what I would say is, as we gain more and more power, which I am confident we will, we must ensure that we do not leave any one issue behind, because it might not be popular in this moment. And that extends to Palestine.”
Those less popular policies that “we firmly believe in” but Mamdani refused to leave behind included the BDS movement and “the end goal of seizing the means of production.”
Political pragmatism needn’t come at the cost of these beliefs, he said. Mamdani believed, he also said, that the Palestinian cause was of such importance to the socialist movement that he used asking politically progressive people about Palestinians as a shibboleth to check if they identified as socialist.
“I sincerely believe in socialism,” said Mamdani, telling activists that they had to remember what brought them to the DSA to bolster them during difficulties. “For me, it was Palestine that brought me to this movement.”
Moreover, Mamdani talked about how his SJP chapter had led an academic boycott campaign against Israeli institutions, and, as an elected official, he said he hoped that, if the socialist movement had gained enough power, it would seek to challenge anti-BDS legislation in the state.
Relating to the 'Palestinian struggle'
The BDS movement was still close to Mamdani’s heart after being elected to office, “although the work that I do now is not every single day relating to that very same struggle,” he said.
“While that struggle is critically important to me, I’m now dealing with issues of housing... The lesson that experience taught me is one that informs every aspect of my organizing: How to relate to power.
“I think it’s so critical that this journey into understanding the way in which we should relate to power – this journey and understanding that it is socialism that we are fighting for – is a journey that should begin as soon as possible for every single person in this country and in this world,” he told the audience.
Mamdani then said it was necessary to elect more socialists to power and to be unapologetic about socialism.
“It is very clear what the purpose is for this entire project. It’s not simply about raising consciousness, but about winning socialism,” he said.
“And obviously, raising class consciousness is a critical part of that, but [also] making sure that we have candidates who both understand this and are willing to put that forward, every which moment that they have, at every opportunity that they’re given, so that we are not wasting the bully pulpit that these positions come with.”
In his 2023 keynote address at the DSA convention, Mamdani again stated that he began his journey with the SJP and Palestinian activism, and that he was attracted to the DSA for its position on the BDS approach.
“The struggle for Palestinian liberation was at the core of my politics and continues to be,” Mamdani stressed.