Socialist Candidate Arrested While Protesting Netanyahu at UN

Darializa Avila Chevalier, a socialist running for House in New York, was taken into custody Thursday while opposing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to the city during the United Nations General Assembly. Photos circulated on social media from her campaign and news reports confirm the arrest happened right before his speech.

Avila Chevalier stands as the Democratic nominee for New York's 13th Congressional District. She joined dozens of others taken away after demonstrators blocked a roadway near the UN complex ahead of Netanyahu's address. Her social media post at Thursday afternoon stated, "Darializa was just arrested while peacefully protesting Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations." The same message added this line: "Our government has unlimited funds to arm a genocide against Palestinians but tells us there's nothing left to feed and house our own people. Stop arming Israel!"

The specific protest where she was detained drew roughly 250 people to the corner of 1st Avenue and 39th Street in Manhattan, according to City & State New York. Police started making arrests after protesters sitting in the roadway refused to move. About 80 to 100 individuals who ignored orders and stayed at the scene ended up in handcuffs.

She defended her actions immediately after being detained. "Netanyahu belongs at the Hague, not in the streets of New York City, and certainly not addressing the United Nations General Assembly," she told reporters via a statement shared by Bloomberg. This stance came despite pressure from officials elsewhere. Israel's ambassador recently called NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani 'sowing chaos' right before Netanyahu's UN appearance.

City Council members Chi Ossé and Alexa Avilés were also taken into custody during the same event, per City & State reports. The Daily Mail noted that actress Susan Sarandon was among those detained at the protest as well. Fox News Digital reached out to Avila Chevalier's campaign for more details but did not get an immediate reply. The NYPD directed reporters to their public information line and declined to share further specifics when contacted by phone.

Avila Chevalier, age 32, pulled off a major upset in the Democratic primary last June. She defeated five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the heavily Democratic 13th District, which covers Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx. Fox News Digital previously reported that Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed her in late May during an appearance on MS NOW. He praised her commitment to working-class New Yorkers and said he looked forward to fighting alongside her for their shared affordability agenda.

She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and received backing from the group's New York City chapter during her congressional run. Avila Chevalier has long been a prominent pro-Palestinian activist. Fox News Digital previously covered how she led anti-Israel protests at Columbia University. She also helped launch Columbia University Apartheid Divest's boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign. That group later faced scrutiny over social media posts, including one saying "Death to America" and another calling for the "eradication of Western civilization.