"They all died fighting for fascism, genocide, pedophilia and cannibalism."
Carla Walsh, a 22-year-old American pro-Iran activist, posted that message on X about four U.S. troops who were killed in a drone attack during the Iran war in March.
On May 5 (local time), she also posted on X a statement attributed to Iran’s military that warned the United Arab Emirates that the UAE, described as “Islamic land,” should not become a base for U.S. and “Zionist” (Israeli) forces and equipment, calling it a betrayal of the Islamic world and Muslims.
The Boston Globe, in a story published May 5, traced Walsh’s path and said she did not always project a pro-Iran, anti-U.S. stance. As recently as six years ago, she was seen as a promising young figure in the Democratic Party. The Globe cited her work on Sen. Ed Markey’s 2020 reelection campaign, where she used online memes to help turn the senator, then in his 70s, into a Gen Z political icon. The paper said she could not vote at the time but “enjoyed talking to reporters more than doing (school) math homework.”
After Markey’s victory, Walsh gained wider attention through interviews with The New York Times and NPR. The Times said at the time that “the Markeyverse (supporter group) used a powerful political strategy that cemented him as a symbol of the left.”
In November 2023, Walsh began to diverge from other young Democrats, according to the report. She climbed onto the roof of an Elbit Systems facility in New Hampshire and vandalized the building by painting it; video circulated online. The New Hampshire Journal reported that after her arrest, her sentence was reduced to 60 days in jail in exchange for a guilty plea, with the remaining time suspended. At a sentencing hearing in November 2024, she cheered and showed no sign of embarrassment, the report said. It also said she voted in the U.S. presidential election before being jailed and wrote the name of a Hamas leader who had been killed, Yahya Sinwar, on her ballot.
After the trial, Walsh left the United States. City Journal reported she traveled last year to Cuba and Iran and has recently been staying in Lebanon. While in Iran, it said, she attended the Sobh International Media Festival hosted by state broadcaster IRIB and visited Iran’s National Aerospace Park, where she praised Iranian drones and missiles.
The Free Press reported that Walsh “is pledging loyalty to Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah,” and said the U.S. government placed her on a watch list based on what it described as extensive connections to the governments of Cuba and Iran. The outlet said her pro-Iran, pro-Cuba and pro-Lebanon propaganda activities could lead to prosecution under U.S. law. A U.S. counterterrorism official was quoted as saying, “I’ve never seen someone who’s been to prison be so openly connected to terrorism.”
Walsh’s family said in an email to The Free Press, “We truly love Carla, but we have serious and fundamental political differences with her.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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