Outrage in the Bronx: Radical Group Praises Suspected Gunman in DC Anti-Israel Attack

By: Fern Sidman

In a chilling display of extremism, a radical far-left group based in the Bronx has come under intense scrutiny after celebrating the alleged gunman responsible for the cold-blooded murder of two Israeli Embassy aides in Washington, DC. The group, known as the Bronx Anti-War Coalition, shocked social media users and lawmakers alike by posting praise for suspect Elias Rodriguez, hailing his actions as “the highest expression of anti-Zionism” and declaring, “We need more Elias Rodriguez in this world.”

The incendiary remarks, first reported by The New York Post, have sparked fierce bipartisan condemnation and renewed debate about the increasingly dangerous intersection of antisemitism and extremist activism under the banner of “anti-Zionism.” The group’s glorification of violence struck a particularly disturbing note coming so soon after the deadly attack outside the Capital Jewish Museum, where Rodriguez is accused of fatally shooting Israeli nationals Sarah Milgrim and her boyfriend Yaron Lischinsky, both staff members of the Israeli Embassy.

According to court documents cited by The New York Post, the 31-year-old suspect flew in from Chicago and targeted the couple around 9 p.m. Wednesday night, unleashing a torrent of nearly two dozen gunshots. Even after Milgrim and Lischinsky fell to the ground, Rodriguez allegedly continued to fire. Milgrim reportedly tried to crawl away in a desperate attempt to escape the onslaught. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

The attack has since been classified by law enforcement officials as a likely act of terrorism, with antisemitic motivations forming the backbone of the prosecution’s theory. Milgrim and Lischinsky, who had reportedly been planning to get engaged the following week, were gunned down in what officials have described as a “targeted, hate-driven act” against Jewish diplomats and Israeli representatives.

Instead of condemnation, the Bronx Anti-War Coalition offered the accused killer praise and deification. In two posts on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the group disturbingly framed Rodriguez’s alleged actions as heroic resistance. The New York Post reported that the group called his act “the highest expression of anti-Zionism,” adding, “We need more Elias Rodriguez in this world.”

The group’s warped ideological framework, which positions violent attacks as legitimate resistance, was detailed on its website. Describing itself as a coalition of “working-class people” and “people of color” committed to “resisting state violence while advancing decolonization,” the group openly proclaims its endorsement of armed struggle. “We are not a pacifist movement,” the website reads. “There can be no peace without justice.”

Notably, the Bronx Anti-War Coalition also calls for the abolition of the state of Israel, aligning itself with a growing movement that blurs the line between anti-Zionist rhetoric and outright antisemitic incitement.

Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres, a staunch advocate for the Jewish community and a vocal critic of antisemitism in all its forms, swiftly condemned the coalition’s statements. In a public statement shared with The New York Post, Torres did not mince words: “The Bronx Anti-War coalition, which has been harassing me since October 7th, has described the murderous targeting of Jews as ‘the highest expression of anti-Zionism.’ Violence is not a bug but a feature of virulent Anti-Zionism.”

Torres’s reference to October 7 recalls the massacre in Israel carried out by Hamas terrorists, after which many fringe anti-Israel groups in the U.S. intensified their public demonstrations and online propaganda campaigns.

Torres, who represents the South Bronx and has long faced criticism from the hard left for his pro-Israel stance, noted that the normalization of anti-Zionist violence presents a dire threat to both Jewish Americans and public safety at large. His warnings echo concerns from Jewish advocacy groups and watchdog organizations that extremist rhetoric is no longer confined to the digital margins but is now inspiring real-world acts of terror.

As The New York Post has reported extensively over the past year, groups such as  the Bronx Anti-War Coalition represent a disturbing new breed of radical activism. Cloaked in the language of “decolonization” and “anti-imperialism,” these organizations push ideological justifications for violence that often veer into explicit antisemitism.

The coalition’s sparse following on social media — 3,400 followers on X, just 200 on Facebook, and a defunct Instagram account — belies the danger posed by such rhetoric. Lone wolf actors, radicalized online and inspired by groups that glorify violent “resistance,” can inflict devastating harm, as seen in Wednesday’s double homicide in Washington.

Despite repeated attempts by The New York Post to secure comment from the Bronx Anti-War Coalition regarding its support of the suspected killer, the group has remained silent. That silence, critics argue, speaks volumes about the movement’s moral depravity and its deep entrenchment in a worldview that exalts violence against Jews as political virtue.

Since the Hamas atrocities on October 7, there has been a documented spike in antisemitic incidents across the United States — from college campuses to urban protests. As The New York Post has covered in recent months, far-left agitators have routinely shut down public spaces, defaced Jewish landmarks, and threatened violence against Zionists — a term that, in their parlance, increasingly refers to all Jews, regardless of political affiliation.

Wednesday’s shooting represents a horrifying escalation: the transformation of violent fantasy into murderous reality. And the fact that a group of American citizens would cheer it on — publicly, brazenly, and without remorse — has sparked fresh calls for the Justice Department to begin monitoring such organizations more closely.

What happened in Washington, DC, and the subsequent reaction from the Bronx Anti-War Coalition, must be viewed not as isolated events but as part of a broader and deeply concerning trend. The convergence of online radicalization, unchecked anti-Zionist propaganda, and real-world violence presents a clear and present danger to Jewish communities nationwide.

As Congressman Torres and others have rightly emphasized, we must not allow the line between dissent and violence to be erased. When rhetoric celebrates murder and ideologies justify terror, society must draw a red line — clearly, firmly, and without hesitation.