A prominent Arab-American activist with close ties to the de Blasio administration got into a fierce Twitter war with a Jewish legislator when she posted a photo of a young Palestinian boy clutching rock in front of Israeli soldiers and labeled it “the definition of courage.”
Queens City Councilman Rory Lancman responded to the Sunday tweet by Linda Sarsour, executive director of the Arab-American Association of New York, by writing: “No, the definition of barbarism.”
The definition of courage. #Palestinepic.twitter.com/VchvSQMGCi
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) October 12, 2015
No, the definition of barbarism. https://t.co/mMfh9P5zBj
— (((Rory Lancman))) (@RoryLancman) October 13, 2015
Sarsour — whose group received $164,050 in City Council funding since 2012 and campaigned for Mayor de Blasio — fired back “city elected official attacking a constituent on foreign policy issue when they weren’t asked. Welcome to the NYC Council.”
The social media brouhaha went back and forth for two days, with Sarsour at one point tweeting:
“The Zionist trolls are out to play. Bring it. You will never silence me.”
“What you have is a tale of two Linda’s,” said one city political operative.
The Zionist trolls are out to play. Bring it. You will never silence me.
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) October 12, 2015
“In one breath, she says she’s trying to bring people together and then she says some of the most divisive things I’ve ever seen on Twitter.”
Lancman on Wednesday declined to comment when asked if the city should stop supporting Sarsour’s group.
But Lancman said in a statement that, “Attacking Jews at their homes, schools, supermarkets, cafes, buses, roads, synagogues and seder tables is barbarous, and enlisting children to commit those acts is even more so.”
A spokesperson for Council Speaker Melisa Mark-Viverito said future budget determinations won’t be made until the spring.
Messages left with the mayor’s office — which has repeatedly featured Sarsour in press releases supporting de Blasio on education and other matters — were not returned.
The political operative said not to expect Sarsour’s funding to be pulled because “a lot of progressive members in office are afraid of Linda.”
Sarsour did not return phone messages.
A spokesman for Councilman Vincent Gentile (D-Brooklyn), who funneled $64,000 of the $164,050 to the Arab-American group, defended the funding, saying the Bay Ridge-based pol has also given “grants” to “other local institutions, including the Trinity Healing Center, the Lutheran Family Health Center and the Resource Training Center. These are local grants for local programs for our local constituents.”
