DSA accused of 'elevating' antisemitic, pro-terror rhetoric after Hasan Piker hosts election stream
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has drawn a blunt response from Anti-Defamation League (ADL) chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt after choosing controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker to host its official election night livestream. Greenblatt accused the group of elevating rhetoric supportive of terrorism and antisemitism.
In a post on X, Greenblatt wrote: 'Of all the people the DSA could have chosen to host its official election night livestream, it chose Hasan Piker, someone who proudly expresses support for terrorist organizations and traffics in antisemitism.' He added: 'Let that sink in. The DSA isn't distancing itself from this kind of rhetoric. It's elevating it.'
In his post, Greenblatt included a link to an ADL article on statements by Piker that the organisation criticised, including comments the ADL said have alluded to classic antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories. The article contains some of Piker's more infamous remarks, such as when he referred to Orthodox Jews in derogatory terms and his classification of Zionism as 'an exterminationist ideology built around ethnoreligious supremacist values.'
Piker did not hold back in his response to Greenblatt, writing on X that Greenblatt's 'best friend Elon' had burned 450 million dollars to lose races all over the country that night. The ADL did not immediately respond to Piker's remarks about Greenblatt.
On Tuesday, Piker livestreamed on Twitch for more than 13 hours on Election Day, offering his signature political commentary as votes were tallied. He described the election as a big night for the Democrats and told his audience: 'Trumpism is dying, and I could not feel any better.' At one point, he suggested imagining a world where Donald Trump is in prison.
He also gloated over the Republicans' defeat, saying: 'This is perhaps the worst possible scenario for the Republican Party. I think their odious agenda, their corruption, the destabilizing impact that they've had, the endless warfare and its consequences on the American economy, are finally coming back to bite them.'
Amid the controversy, several DSA endorsed or supported candidates won on Tuesday night, including Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania, Melat Kiros in Colorado, Donavan McKinney in Michigan, and Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier in New York.
Ahead of the midterm elections, Piker drew attention in political circles as he interviewed and even campaigned with DSA-backed and DSA-aligned candidates. Piker came to national prominence after he campaigned with now-Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan. While his race was not explicitly DSA-backed, the organisation said El-Sayed 'supports DSA priorities like Medicare for All.'
El-Sayed appeared to distance himself from the streamer, holding no additional campaign events with him toward the end of the election cycle. This came after critics accused Piker of suggesting that Jewish Americans' support for Israel could lead to antisemitic violence against them.
