Violent clashes erupted on Sunday between pro- and anti-Israel demonstrators in Los Angeles. The conflict started when anti-Israel protesters staged a protest outside the Adas Torah synagogue, where an Israeli real estate fair was taking place.
The LA Times reported that one person was arrested for allegedly carrying a “spiked flag.” According to CBS News, police officers, weapons drawn, detained two people who were shouting at protesters from a car, removing a toddler from the vehicle in the process.
Reports indicate that pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to block the synagogue’s entrance on Pico Boulevard, where the real estate event was being held. Social media videos captured at least one anti-Israel protester chanting “There is only one solution, intifada revolution.”
Images circulated online showed an individual with a keffiyeh covering their face using bear spray on pro-Israel supporters. The situation quickly escalated, leading to several violent encounters as police and Magen Am security tried to manage the crowds.
Multiple scuffles broke out, and officers declared the gathering an unlawful assembly before clearing the area in riot gear. Despite the violence, no formal reports of injuries were made, although one person was seen with a bloodied face.
Rabbi Hertzel Illulian, speaking to CBS, condemned the violence, saying, “I don’t think the Jewish [sic] would go in front of a mosque or the Christian people would go in front of a mosque to do such a thing. Nobody would accept this, but here, when it comes to Jews and Israel, everything is kosher, everything is okay.”
This incident is part of a larger trend of increased anti-Israel demonstrations and antisemitic incidents in the US, which have surged following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on southern Israel on October 7, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken, sparking the ongoing war in Gaza.
The University of California, Los Angeles, has also experienced significant violence and antisemitic harassment against Jewish students amid recent pro-Palestinian protests.
