Amid the ongoing Israel–Hamas conflict, California streets saw thousands of protesters last weekend, including pro-Palestinian groups calling for a Gaza cease-fire and the Jewish community marching against anti-Semitism.
On March 2, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators wearing green, red, white, and black—the colors of the Palenstinian flag—marched outside Los Angeles City Hall in the afternoon, holding signs that read “Stop Killing Children in Gaza” and “Free Palestine,” among other things.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the mostly peaceful crowd spanned several blocks and was composed of tens of thousands of participants, according to some estimates.
Four vandalism-related arrests were made at the protest, and a fifth person was arrested trying to free one of the four arrested, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told the newspaper.
The March 2 demonstration was part of a global day of action known as “Shut It Down for Palestine,” according to The Associated Press. The action followed Israel’s recent tentative agreement on a cease-fire framework with Hamas.
A senior U.S. official told The Associated Press on March 2 that now “the ball is in the court of Hamas.”
Several similar large-scale demonstrations took place across the country in cities including Seattle, New York, and Washington. A largely peaceful march in San Francisco took a turn as clashes erupted between protesters and law enforcement.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, police said that the clash started at about 3 p.m. when protesters breached barricades and allegedly climbed a flagpole to replace an American flag with a Palestinian flag.
“The group became violent and began to commit crimes ranging from assault to felony vandalism and causing property damage,” a police statement provided to the San Francisco Chronicle says.
Organizers claimed that some protesters were pepper sprayed and struck with batons during the altercation, according to the news outlet. Organizers said that about 15,000 people attended the demonstration.
Protest Against Anti-Semitism
A day after the March 2 pro-Palestinian protests, thousands of Jewish demonstrators gathered in front of San Francisco City Hall, undeterred by rain, to express solidarity and unity against anti-Semitism, according to ABC7.The demonstration, dubbed the Unity March, attracted attendees from across the Bay Area, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Many told the newspaper they participated because of concerns regarding anti-Semitic trends in the region’s schools and on college campuses.
According to the Chronicle, some Jewish families in Oakland withdrew their children from schools after leaders within the district’s teachers union advocated educators’ participation in a Pro-Palestinian “teach-in” addressing the conflict in Gaza.
“There is no place for hate in San Francisco,” Mayor London Breed said at the event, as reported by ABC7, condemning the surge of hate crimes targeting Jewish people. “It’s been shocking to watch how divided we have become.”
In 2023, nearly 30 percent of hate crimes in San Francisco were directed toward the Jewish community, a 260 percent increase from the previous year, Ms. Breed said.
Also in attendance were California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, state Sen. Scott Wiener, and Sheryl Sandberg, former chief operating officer of Meta Platforms.
A small contingent of Palestinian supporters staged a peaceful protest nearby as the rally continued, but there was no conflict between the two groups, ABC7 reported.
