Los Angeles mayoral frontrunner Nithya Raman stood by her description of Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” and defended her appearance on streamer Hasan Piker’s show during a Jewish community mayoral forum held Tuesday night, drawing sharp pushback from attendees and Jewish advocacy groups.
Raman and incumbent Mayor Karen Bass both appeared before hundreds of attendees at the forum, hosted by several Jewish organizations ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Questions covered antisemitism, public safety, homelessness and the war in Gaza.
The moderator pressed Raman on her decision to appear on Piker’s program, noting many in the audience found the appearance “deeply hurtful” given the streamer’s past remarks about Jews and his praise for groups including Hamas, Hezbollah and al-Qaeda. Raman said candidates have an obligation to reach voters wherever they are.
“I do believe that as an elected representative who’s seeking higher office, you have to go and speak to voters,” Raman said. “I think it’s important for us as elected officials and as people running for office to go and speak to them even when you disagree with parts of those individuals… and meet them where they’re at.”
Raman’s reasoning mirrors a defense offered by Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who has made similar appearances on Piker’s show.
Genocide Language Under Scrutiny
The moderator also asked Raman to define “genocide” and address why she has repeatedly used the term for Israel’s conduct in Gaza. Raman said she recognized the weight of the word but defended her usage.
“I have used that term and I’m not an expert on these issues, and so I have looked to experts on these issues — international experts, Israeli experts — who have used that language, and that is what guided me in using that term in describing what’s happening in Gaza,” Raman said.
She said she felt compelled to speak out after seeing “the targeting of hospitals” and “the deaths of children.” Bass, by contrast, rejected the term outright when asked about it at the same forum.
Later, asked how she differs from the Democratic Socialists of America — whose Los Angeles chapter has endorsed her campaign — Raman called the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement “a legitimate form of peaceful protest,” while saying Israel-related issues are not part of her municipal platform and pointing to other disagreements she has had with the DSA.
Reaction From Jewish Advocates
StopAntisemitism founder and Executive Director Liora Rez told Fox News Digital that “‘meeting people where they’re at’ is not a defense” for appearing on Piker’s program, and that Raman’s genocide claim is “not supported by the facts,” arguing that casualty figures from Hamas-controlled authorities “do not establish a deliberate campaign to destroy the Palestinian people.” Rez also rejected Raman’s characterization of BDS, calling it “a discriminatory movement that singles out the world’s only Jewish state for isolation and elimination.”
Los Angeles activist April Silverman criticized Raman’s performance at the forum on X, saying the candidate seemed unaware of “the concept of knowing your audience and reading the room.” Podcast host Shana Meyerson, who runs “The Unapologetically Jewish Podcast,” was more blunt, saying Raman “couldn’t even pretend in front of a room full of Jewish Angelenos to be anything other than an antizionist radical” and that she “doubled down on her ‘genocide’ accusations despite admitting she ‘isn’t an expert,’ and could not define what genocide is.”
The exchange adds another flashpoint to a mayoral race already drawing national attention as Raman, backed by the DSA’s Los Angeles chapter, challenges incumbent Karen Bass in the Nov. 3 runoff.
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