The newest member of New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s inaugural committee, Alvaro Lopez, a Democratic Socialists of America activist, previously praised women who tore down posters of Israeli hostages, the New York Post reported on Saturday.
In a now-deleted X/Twitter post, Lopez responded to a video of two women caught tearing down hostage posters, writing “All I see are heroes.”
“It’s possible I was talking about the people on the posters,” Lopez told the New York Post, claiming he “didn’t remember” writing the post.
“It was a really chaotic time,” he added.
Shortly after the October 7 massacre, Lopez accused US Rep. Ritchie Torres of having the blood of Palestinian children on his hands in another deleted post.
Lopez is the latest pro-Palestinian voice to join Mamdani’s committee, which includes children’s video educator Rachel Griffin Accurso, known to child viewers as Ms. Rachel, and Cynthia Nixon.
'Money hungry Jews smh'
Mamdani has previously drawn criticism for his anti-Israel views and associations with antisemitic figures, including his appointment as director of appointments, Catherine Almonte Da Costa. On December 18, Da Costa resigned over antisemitic comments made on X/Twitter, including "Money hungry Jews smh," and "Far Rockaway train is the Jew train.”
"For those Jewish New Yorkers considering relocating, StopAntisemitism is happy to put them in touch with realtors eager to help in Florida, Texas, and other locations where they will be safe," StopAntisemitism said following the announcement of Ms. Rachel's inclusion on the committee.
Goldie Katz and Tzvi Jasper contributed to this report.