Crowd chants ‘shame on you’ at Rep. Haley Stevens over pro-Israel stance

Pro-Palestinian activists shouted out Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., as she gave a hopeful speech to U.S. Senate Democrats at the spring meeting of Michigan Democrats on Sunday.

When Stevens, a pro-Israel Democrat, took the stage with a group of union workers, the crowd erupted as party activists heckled him about his support for Israel.

“Democrats, I love you even though we disagree,” the congressman said, but the audience continued to silence him with boos and jeers.

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As Stevens left the stage after his remarks, several attendees stood up, raised their fists in the air and began chanting “Shame on you.”

The tense moment underscores the Democratic Party’s race to the left and shows how support for Israel has become a central flashpoint in Michigan’s competitive three-way Democratic primary in a state with sizable Jewish and Arab voters.

Stevens has long faced harsh criticism from progressive Democrats for his pro-Israel stance and support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Its main rivals, by contrast, leaned further to the left on the issue.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. and Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, supported by Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, accused Israel of genocide and vowed against AIPAC and the pro-Israel lobby.

Stevens recently upset progressives in Michigan by flatly disavowing far-left online publisher Hasan Piker, who has made anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas statements.

Piker called some Orthodox Jews “nativist,” claimed the United States “deserved 9/11,” and downplayed the sexual violence that occurred during the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. He has denied accusations of antisemitism but continues to argue that Hamas is better than Israel.

Left: Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Right: Michigan Democratic candidate and state Senator Mallory McMorrow. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images; Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

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Stevens warned of political consequences for Democrats if the party embraces Piker: I tell Jewish Insider, “Anyone campaigning with someone like that is not going to win in Michigan.”

Although McMorrow rejected the pro-Israel stance, he also criticized El-Sayed for embracing Piker and took a tougher stance against anti-Semitism than his left-wing rival.

When McMorrow walked off stage at the convention over the weekend, some attendees shouted “Abdul” to signal support for the most radical Democratic candidate.

The swing state contest is seen as the best recruiting opportunity for Republicans, and former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who is backed by President Donald Trump, is expected to advance toward the GOP nomination. Democrats are making the case to ensure the seat remains vacant by retiring Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., in the blue column.

The American Empire is “rapidly fading” and “will inevitably fall,” Hasan Piker said in a controversial speech at the Yale University Political Union on Tuesday. (Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The battleground race is one of three Senate contests considered a “jump” by nonpartisans Cook Political Report.

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Stevens, the only Democratic candidate in the race to serve in Congress, was promoted by allies of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DY. TIME reported Although Schumer continues to distance himself from El-Sayed, he also opened the door to supporting McMorrow.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Stevens’ campaign for comment.