In a dramatic display of far-left defiance, New York State Assembly Member Claire Valdez and City Councilor Tiffany Cabán were reportedly arrested Friday during a disruptive protest inside the Manhattan offices of U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand — both Democrats representing New York.
The demonstration, organized by the radical group Jewish Voice for Peace, called for cutting military aid to Israel and accused the senators of contributing to alleged starvation in Gaza.
The protestors, many of whom chanted “Let Gaza live” and held signs reading “Stop Starving Gaza,” staged a sit-in at the senators’ offices, creating a tense scene that ended with NYPD officers zip-tying the hands of Valdez, Cabán, and dozens of others. Police cleared the building’s lobby after repeated warnings, leading demonstrators away as they continued their anti-Israel chants.
The incident followed votes earlier in the week where both Schumer and Gillibrand joined a bipartisan coalition to oppose two resolutions from Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
One resolution (S.J.Res.34) aimed to block a $675 million weapons sale to Israel, while the other (S.J.Res.41) sought to prohibit the transfer of automatic rifles to the Jewish state.
In rejecting the resolutions, the senators reaffirmed their support for Israel’s right to defend itself — a stance that continues to draw ire from the party’s activist fringe.
Valdez and Cabán’s arrests come amid growing friction between the Democratic establishment and its far-left flank, which increasingly demands policy shifts on U.S.–Israel relations.
Protesters invoked Holocaust-era language, holding signs reading “Never Again is Now,” an inflammatory slogan critics argue cheapens historical memory by equating modern military operations with genocide.
The protestors cited U.N. estimates that one in three Gazans are facing food insecurity.
Valdez, no stranger to controversy, has previously called for Senator Gillibrand’s resignation over comments about Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, another lawmaker aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America.
Her latest arrest underscores the growing willingness of far-left elected officials to engage in confrontational activism, even when it involves civil disobedience against fellow Democrats.
With progressives pushing the party further left on foreign policy — often with rhetoric critical of Israel and its U.S. allies — this protest signals an intensifying divide.
For Schumer and Gillibrand, who have long maintained strong pro-Israel records, Friday’s arrests may serve as a reminder that their centrist approach to international security is now increasingly under fire from within their own ranks.
