One of the protesters outside Torres’ office denounced the lawmaker as “Zionist scum” and described Israel as “terrorists who kill children.”
By Corey Walker, The Algemeiner
Anti-Israel protesters flooded outside the office of US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) earlier this week, condemning the congressman for his support of the Jewish state, demanding that he resign from office, and making apparent threats against his life.
“Anti-Israel extremists held a protest outside my office, demanding that I resign from office for the thought crime of supporting both the Jewish People and the Jewish State,” Torres posted on X/Twitter.
In a video accompanying his social media post, the activists could be seen waving Palestinian flags and angrily chanting the slogan “It is right to rebel, Ritchie Torres go to hell!” Another participant in the demonstration was recorded beating an effigy of Torres with a pole.
“My enemies clearly want me dead,” Torres wrote.
Anti-Israel extremists held a protest outside my office, demanding that I resign from office for the thought crime of supporting both the Jewish People and the Jewish State. After careful consideration, their request has been denied.
These extremists are seen using a pole to… pic.twitter.com/wuO6QnlYLg
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) March 31, 2025
An activist, standing in front of Torres’ office, shouted through a megaphone that the demonstrators had assembled to “demand that [Torres] resign for his collaboration with the Gaza genocide and the deportations that he invited to the Bronx.”
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists invaded southern Israel, where they murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages. The Jewish state responded with a defensive military operation aimed at decimating Hamas’s military capabilities and rescuing the hostages.
Anti-Israel activists have largely condemned the Jewish state’s actions as being “genocidal” and a form of “ethnic cleansing.”
Pro-Palestinian advocates have also urged US lawmakers to vote in favor of enacting an “arms embargo” against the Jewish state, arguing that the federal government has been complicit in the wanton “murder” of thousands of Palestinian civilians.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has ordered sweeping arrests and detainments of non-citizen anti-Israel activists for participating in destructive demonstrations while allegedly supporting Hamas, the US-designated terrorist organization that has ruled Gaza since 2007.
Some of these arrests, particularly of former Columbia University student and permanent resident Mahmoud Khalil, have sparked significant backlash, with critics accusing the White House of undermining free speech rights.
Some critics of Torres allege that the lawmaker’s repeated and consistent condemnation of universities’ handlings of campus antisemitism helped to embolden conservative efforts to crack down on pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Last year, Torres commended New York University (NYU) for expanding its anti-harassment and non-discrimination policies to protect students who support the existence of Israel.
NYU’s revised hate speech policies state that deploying “code words like ‘Zionist’” do not necessarily shield students from violating the university conduct code.
The congressman also urged the State University of New York System, Cornell University, the City University of New York, and Columbia University to do the same.
One of the protesters outside Torres’ office denounced the lawmaker as “Zionist scum” and described Israel as “terrorists who kill children.”
He stated that Torres has “slandered” activist groups, including Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) as being “pro-Hamas” organizations and accused him of spreading a “baseless accusation” that the group had “advanced knowledge of the events of Oct. 7.”
Shortly before the Oct. 7, 2023, atrocities, after months of silence, an Instagram account belonging to the Columbia University chapter of SJP posted “we’re back!” and instructed followers to “stay tuned.” Many observers have suggested, without further evidence, that the post indicated that the organization possessed prior knowledge of the planned Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
Torres, a progressive lawmaker from a heavily liberal and Democratic district, has emerged as a stalwart ally of Israel.
Since he arrived in the US Congress, Torres has been highly outspoken against antisemitism, oftentimes criticizing fellow liberals over their alleged unwillingness to combat bigotry against the Jewish community.
Torres has criticized efforts to withhold arms from Israel and has repeatedly called for the immediate release of hostages from Gaza.