The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America wasted no time on Sunday showing where their loyalties lie. The New York Post reported that they stomped on and then burned an Israeli flag during a heated exchange with Israel supporters, and fights were reported. The Post also ran a photo of a young demonstrator on the Palestinian side of the protest holding a picture of a swastika on a cell phone.
The DSA announced the rally slated for Times Square on Saturday, even as the carnage was unfolding in Israel. While the Post noted that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman have had ties with the DSA, Gov. Kathy Hochul denounced the rally. At one point, some of the people attending it marched to the Consulate General of Israel on Second Avenue near East 43rd Street, swelling to about 100 by around 5 p.m. They were met with around 200 counter-demonstrators. The Post reported:
“It’s not about Hamas,” Mohammed Radi, a West Bank-born New Jersey resident, told The Post. “It’s about civilian suffering and to stop the killing on both sides.
“I don’t want to see any Jewish people or any Palestinian people killed,” the man said.
Aaron Kirshenbaum, a recent college graduate from Brooklyn who attended the rally with his father, said, “It’s important for Judaism to be divorced from Zionism.
“Being aligned with an oppressive state is extremely limiting,” he said.
One counter-protestor, Richard Friend, commented, “New York is allowing these f–king animals to protest. They just murdered hundreds of innocent Israelis, and now they’re dancing in the streets!”
Hakeem Jeffries issued a statement “strongly and unequivocally” condemning the DSA’s “hate-filled rally” while calling the Hamas attack “barbaric, inhumane, and despicable.” Eric Adams posted on X, “At a moment when innocent people are being slaughtered and children kidnapped in Israel, it is disgusting that this group of extremists would show support for terrorism. New York City rejects this. Do not use our streets to spread your hate.”
The Floridian reported on Sunday that a pro-Israel rally was held in Fort Lauderdale. According to the story, around 200 Israel supporters were confronted by approximately two dozen pro-Palestinian demonstrators, one of whom demanded to be shown proof that Hamas had murdered innocent women and children.
50 officers in riot gear deployed crowd control measures after a fight broke out.
🚨BREAKING- huge street fight breaks out at pro-Israel rally i Fort Lauderdale. #Israel
Palestinian sympathizer stated,”We have already won” pic.twitter.com/J40XsgXfZf
— Javier Manjarres (@JavManjarres) October 8, 2023
In Utah, police responded to multiple bomb threats to synagogues in different areas of the state. Fox-13 noted that officers had cleared threats to houses of worship in Ogden, Salt Lake, and a mall in St. George.
Reporting on the New York incident, the National Review said that a “red-haired progressive white woman in her 20s” told a Jewish man that the protest was in support of the Palestinians, not Hamas.
Related: You’ll Never Guess Who Else Was Partying After Israel Was Invaded
Alan Dershowitz told Glenn Beck this morning that one Ivy League school was planning a rally for Palestine, even after the murder, rape, and abduction of innocent people in Israel. Dozens of students at Harvard have placed the blame for Saturday’s attack on Israel. These students, of course, are the ones who will make up the ranks of future lawyers, business leaders, and lawmakers. Keep an eye on Israel, Palestine, and Iran in the next few weeks. And keep an eye on the United States.
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