Activists are pushing to defund Bronx Defenders, a New York taxpayer-financed legal aid group, after the union representing its attorneys drafted a statement bashing Israel and made no mention of the Hamas terror attack.
The pro-Israel activists have put together a petition drive in an attempt to convince New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, both Democrats, to cut off funding for the group, according to the New York Post.
The action came after an Oct. 20 statement released by Bronx Defenders United Auto Workers Local 2325. The statement, posted on X, accused Israel of committing atrocities.
"We refuse to decontextualize these atrocities committed by Israel and we condemn any attempts to create false equivalencies between the oppressed and the oppressor."
Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind, founder of Americans Against Antisemitism, responded to the union statement by touting the "Defund the Bronx Defenders" petition.
"There is no place for antisemites in our workplace," the petition said. "DE-FUND THE BRONX DEFENDERS NOW."
According to the Post, Bronx Defenders has received more than $300 million in city and state funds over the past decade.
The group has been criticized in the past for fanning the flames of antisemitism, the Post noted.
In 2021, the group paid a $170,000 settlement for alleged discrimination against a Jewish staffer. The Post noted the settlement was reached by the Bronx Defenders, not the union.
Hikind told the Post, "Back in 2021 we called out the Bronx Defenders for their nasty newsletter accusing Israel of 'genocide' and they settled a lawsuit subsequently brought against them by committing to undergo 'bias and sensitivity training.'
"Surprise, surprise, here we are in 2023 after Hamas livestreamed their butchery and the Bronx Defenders Union had the audacity to indulge in an even worse version of their 2021 blood libel by accusing Israel of every worst crime, while not even mentioning the hostages and victims of Hamas atrocities."