There’s a popular misquote from Mahatma Gandhi: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” New York City Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA), who are being slandered by fifty-two NYC State Assembly Democrats as antisemitic, seem to be following this path. A few weeks after the NYC-DSA slate swept their State Legislature elections alongside winning important congressional primaries, the chapter’s candidate questionnaire was scrutinized and denounced.

The candidate interviews include two on the question of Israel: Do you pledge not to travel to Israel if elected to the City Council? And do you support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement? NYC-DSA has clarified that the trips to Israel in question are specifically political propaganda trips, not personal trips.

NYC-DSA is accused of “singling out” Israel on their questionnaire. In fact, there is no other country where state and city officials are taken on all-expenses-paid junkets to deepen political ties between local politicians to other nations. Imagine the uproar if Iranian or Chinese organizations took council members on pro-government tours of their country.