An antisemitic “activist” who openly supports Hamas and Hezbollah has won election to the Dearborn, Michigan school board, securing oversight of a district serving 20,000 students in America’s largest Arab-American community.

Amer Zahr, who served on Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign team, finished second on Tuesday in a crowded field vying for two open seats on the seven-member board.

“I look forward to serving on our School Board! We have a lot of work to do. I promise to make you all proud!” Zahr posted on X after his win.

But his past statements have raised concerns among non-Muslim parents who are worried that Zahr’s victory could reinforce Dearborn’s reputation as a hotbed of anti-Israel fanaticism.

As a leader in the “uncommitted” movement pressuring President Biden to abandon Israel, he recently told the New York Times the United States is “actively funding” genocide in Gaza. At a Dearborn rally in 2017, Zahr said that he “stands with every resistance against Israel and every resistance against the occupation, whether it’s called Hamas, whether it’s called Hezbollah.” In a video posted on his X account, he urges Arabs to “stop condemning antisemitism and terrorism.”

When Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah back in September, a man responsible for thousands of Israeli and American deaths, Zahr lamented, “No living Arab leader was more respected among the masses. And Israel murdered him.”

His campaign received backing from the Arab American News, published by Osama Siblani, another local figure who has defended Hamas and Hezbollah. At a rally with Dearborn’s mayor in September, Siblani called Nasrallah a “hero” and said that Jews should be sent “back to Poland.”

Stop condemning anti-Semitism. Stop it. We have been doing it for generations. So stop it. You’re not helping. If they didn’t believe us by now, that’s not our problem. Stay focused. #FreePalestine @bellahadid @GiGiHadid pic.twitter.com/xBRrU5r8lN

— Amer Zahr (@AmerZahr) May 22, 2021