DSA condemns D.C. museum killings and distances itself from subgroup that posted ‘Free Elias Rodriguez’
Praise for the double killing outside a Jewish museum highlighted tensions over Israel
Elias Rodriguez has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder and other crimes for the killing of two employees of the Israeli Embassy, pictured above. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
By Louis Keene May 29, 2025
The Democratic Socialists of America condemned the killing of two Israeli embassy workers on Wednesday, a statement spurred by a subgroup’s praise for the crime.
In a post on X on Tuesday, the self-described “Marxist-Leninist-Maoist” subgroup, called the DSA Liberation Caucus, said “Free Elias Rodriguez and all political prisoners.” Rodriguez is alleged to have shot to death the two staffers outside a May 21 event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The Liberation Caucus endorsed another group’s statement that said the killings were “righteous.”
The smaller group’s statement and the national group’s disavowal a day later brought to the fore a conspicuous lack of condemnation from some pro-Palestinian and leftist groups of the shooting. Rodriguez was recorded shouting “Free, free Palestine” during his arrest.
It also highlighted an ongoing conflict within the DSA over how central Palestinian issues should be to its platform.
The national organization’s post disavowing the pro-Rodriguez statement did not mention the Liberation Caucus or say it was banned from caucusing during coming DSA elections. But it did something many other groups that have taken up the mantle of Palestinian liberation, including the Palestine Youth Movement, American Muslims for Palestine and Within Our Lifetime have yet to do: condemn the killings. (Other groups, like the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Public Affairs Council, have condemned the attack.)
“Democratic Socialists of America seek to democratically transform our society and reject vigilante violence,” the national organization wrote on X. “We condemn the murder of Israeli embassy workers. Any statement otherwise is not the stance of DSA.”
The Liberation Caucus responded to that post by agreeing that it was speaking only for itself in calling for Rodriguez to be freed. “Liberation is not all of DSA,” it said. “Right wing news outlets and individuals have chosen to take the statement we signed to portray the entire organization as holding our views – this is wrong.”
A number of pro-Israel politicians, including New York Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres, used the subgroup’s statement to cudgel the national organization. Torres blamed the DSA for a “grotesque attempt to glorify a cold-blooded murderer.”
The Liberation Caucus’ earlier post on X endorsed a statement from another account that said attacks on “genocidal Zionist imperialism” were justified. The caucus, which launched its X account just last month, had as of Wednesday evening fewer than 1,000 followers on the platform.
The Liberation Caucus did not respond to an inquiry. A DSA spokesperson referred the Forward to the group’s statement.
The Israel-Hamas war has been a source of friction inside the DSA from its outset, when the national group’s statement following the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023, appeared to blame “Israel’s apartheid regime” for the deaths of some 1,200 people in Southern Israel.
The statement, and the New York City DSA chapter’s promotion of a pro-Palestinian rally the day after the attacks, caused prominent DSA-endorsed officials, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, to criticize or disassociate from the party. (A followup statement from the chapter apologized for promoting the rally and said it “deeply mourn[s] the loss of life in the region and unequivocally condemn all hatred and the killing of all civilians.”)
Calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement have been part of the DSA platform since long before the war began. But DSA members — and member chapters — split on whether supporting BDS should be a mandatory precondition for a DSA endorsement. Ocasio-Cortez lost the party’s support last year after the DSA took issue with some of her votes on Israel.
The online response to the DSA’s post condemning the murder reflected that disagreement.
“Dear god thank you,” read one reply. “Completely unnecessary,” wrote another.
