New York Candidate Arrested With Activists At UN Protest

Benjamin Netanyahu was stepping up to his podium inside the United Nations while a Democratic congressional candidate walked away in handcuffs outside. Darializa Avila Chevalier, the nominee for New York's 13th Congressional District, stood among at least 30 people arrested on Thursday during a protest against the Israeli prime minister's appearance at the UN General Assembly. The demonstration, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace and other progressive groups, blocked a roadway near the UN headquarters. Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon and New York City Council member Chi Ossé were also detained along with whistleblower Chelsea Manning.

Chevalier gave an extraordinary first-person account to The Guardian where she confirmed her arrest outside the UN. She framed the demonstration as an act of political resistance against funding Israel through US taxpayer money. 'As the Democratic nominee for New York's 13th congressional district, I refuse to allow a war criminal to roam the streets of our city unchallenged,' she stated. 'I refuse to play host to a man who has overseen the slaughter or injury of more than 64,000 children with American taxpayer dollars.' She continued, 'That is why I was arrested today outside of the United Nations alongside hundreds of my fellow New Yorkers.'

In her account, she accused Netanyahu and the Israeli government of responsibility for devastating conditions in Gaza. She used the contentious term genocide to describe the situation and condemned US military support for Israel. She also blamed the US for shielding Netanyahu from prosecution. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity connected to the Gaza conflict. Netanyahu and Israeli officials have rejected these allegations of genocide and say their military campaign is aimed at Hamas.

Chevalier said she was taken into custody on Thursday as hundreds of demonstrators blocked a street near the UN headquarters ahead of Netanyahu's address to the General Assembly. As Netanyahu prepared to defend Israel's conduct before the General Assembly, demonstrators outside were chanting against the war and demanding an end to U.S. support for Israel. Reuters reported that protesters described the conflict as an issue of American responsibility because US taxpayer money supports Israel. The protest took place at the corner of First Avenue and East 39th Street, only blocks from the UN, where demonstrators staged a sit-in and blocked traffic. Police subsequently moved in to make arrests. City & State reported that roughly 250 protesters took part in the action, including several elected officials and political candidates.

This confrontation outside the UN comes against the backdrop of a fierce political dispute over whether American officials could or should act on that warrant. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has previously said he would seek to enforce the warrant against Netanyahu if legally empowered to do so, although the issue of municipal authority has remained disputed. The arrest highlights a deepening rift between progressive voices and established power structures regarding the war in Gaza. It forces citizens to ask who holds the real responsibility when lives are lost overseas while money flows from American banks. The risk to communities grows as political rhetoric hardens into legal battles that could reshape local alliances.

President Donald Trump has made it clear that Benjamin Netanyahu will face no arrest if he steps onto American soil. This stance comes after activist Avila Chevalier took aim at the political machines of both major parties for their continued backing of Israel. That kind of rhetoric cuts right through the middle of the insurgency that swept her to the Democratic nomination in New York.

Chevalier, a self-described Democratic Socialist and veteran pro-Palestinian advocate, shocked the establishment in June by defeating five-term incumbent Adriano Espaillat in the primary for the heavily Democratic 13th District. Her platform leans hard on Democratic Socialist themes, calling for an end to US military interventions and a massive shift of government spending toward housing, healthcare, and other domestic needs. She markets herself as a community organizer with over a decade of work in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx.

Her rise has already rattled parts of the party elite. The Washington Post noted before her win that Republicans were looking to use her history and past comments to frame her as proof of the party's drift leftward. Backed by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, she faces scrutiny for some radical views, including proposals to abolish prisons and police, remove the border entirely, and seize landlord properties to hand over to the government.

Actor Hannah Einbinder, whistleblower Chelsea Manning, and comedian Caleb Hearon were also picked up by the New York Police Department during the same events. Outside, demonstrators burned an effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while he prepared to defend Israel's actions before the General Assembly. They chanted against the war and demanded that Washington stop its support for Tel Aviv. Protesters argued this was about American responsibility since taxpayer dollars fund Israel's military.

Chevalier sees that contrast as her main point. She insists Washington pours huge sums into overseas wars while people in her district suffer from poverty, housing instability, and cuts to public aid. Prime Minister Netanyahu stood firm in his speech at the UN General Assembly, asserting Israel's right to fight Iran and defending against criticism regarding violence by settlers in the occupied West Bank. He dismissed what he called exaggerated coverage of the issue but made it clear he does not approve of attacks on Palestinians.

Her past social media posts are now deleted but included angry rants about interracial relationships. She once wrote that black and Arab men dating white women 'fetishize ugly colonizer women.' When pressed on her call to 'abolish the border,' she replied: 'Yes literally abolish the border, all deportation is wrong.' She also sparked outrage by joking about wiping her dirty hands on the American flag and previously calling the US a 'disgrace.'

The arrest adds an extraordinary new chapter to a campaign that has already become a symbol of the bitter fight between the progressive left and the party's more established wing. For Chevalier, this confrontation was never just about one speech. She frames her candidacy as part of a larger movement challenging US foreign policy priorities.

New York City Council member Chi Ossé told PIX 11 she was sick and tired of taxpayer dollars funding what she called an active genocide while arguing government resources should go to domestic needs. She was taken into custody alongside Avila Chevalier during the protest that brought national attention to this ideological battle consuming New York Democrats.

Chevalier's account stated their enemy is a system where billionaires get rich from stoking hatred and war while our own communities go without. In her description of the event, she invoked Martin Luther King Jr's opposition to excessive military spending and presented her campaign as a challenge to what she calls the American insatiable war machine.

This action ensures Chevalier's campaign is no longer merely part of the ideological battle consuming New York Democrats. As of now, Zohran Mamdani has not weighed in on the arrest of Chevalier, whom he has endorsed. The situation remains tense with leaders still deciding whether to support her stance or distance themselves from the controversy surrounding the arrests.