Hasan Piker calls protesters who heckled Mamdani at Oct. 7 vigil ‘opportunists’

Hasan Piker criticized protesters who heckled New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani at an Oct. 7 vigil, calling them 'opportunists' who tarnished the anti-Zionist movement. Speaking at a Jewish Currents event, he also criticized the DSA for not leading the protest. A separate panel exposed divisions among progressive Democrats over Israel and Palestinian activism.

Hasan Piker, the popular streamer and democratic socialist campaigner, called the protesters who heckled New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani at an Oct. 7 vigil 'opportunists' who 'tarnished' the anti-Zionist movement's message. Speaking at a Jewish Currents Live event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Sunday, Piker said the protesters had 'valid concerns' but criticized the Democratic Socialists of America for not leading the protest, allowing it to be taken over by 'sectarians' who called Mamdani a 'genocidaire.' A separate panel featuring Democratic congressional nominees Brad Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier exposed divisions among progressives over Israel, with Lander advocating a two-state solution and stopping short of an arms embargo, while Avila Chevalier called for one. The event also featured discussions on the Jewish Labor Bund and leftist Jewish identity.