President Joe Biden has condemned pro-Palestine protesters as “antisemitic and un-American” after they surrounded a Los Angeles synagogue, leading to violent clashes.
A demonstration organised against an Israeli real estate fair held at the Adas Torah shul devolved into chaos on Sunday with dozens of individuals punching each other in the street.
Footage of the incident shows keffiyeh-clad demonstrators shoving men wearing yarmulkes and one man with blood streaming down his face.
Flags of the messianic wing of Chabad can be seen flying in the background.
In another clip, a woman can be seen leaning out of the sunroof of a car and making making gun hand gestures and lifting her middle fingers at pro-Israel demonstrators.
A group of police officers then approach her SUV with their guns raised, before she and a masked man exit the vehicle and surrender.
After taking them away, officers then remove a child from the car.
During the incident, authorities made a single arrest, charging the individual with a misdemeanor for allegedly possessing a “spiked flag,” which is considered a prohibited item at protests, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Police did not provide further information about the person arrested.
The protesters arrived outside the Adas Torah synagogue at 11am on Sunday, Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Tony Im said.
The demonstration was organised by Palestinian Youth Movement LA and Code Pink LA, a far left anti-war group, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Clashes began after they attempted to block the entrance to the synagogue.
At least one of the anti-Israel protesters was filmed chanting: “There is only one solution, intifada revolution.”
President Biden said: “I’m appalled by the scenes outside of Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles. Intimidating Jewish congregants is dangerous, unconscionable, antisemitic, and un-American.
“Americans have a right to peaceful protest. But blocking access to a house of worship – and engaging in violence – is never acceptable.”
"The violent clashes outside the Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles are appalling,” Gavin Newsom, the governor of California posted on X/Twitter.
"There is no excuse for targeting a house of worship. Such antisemitic hatred has no place in California."
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a press release that the violence there was "abhorrent."
"I want to be clear that Los Angeles will not be a harbour for antisemitism and violence. Those responsible for either will be found and held accountable," she added.
Rabbi Hertzel Illulian, founder of the JEM Community Center in Beverly Hills, told CBS: “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.”
The Jewish Federation Los Angeles said: “We are aware of an anti-Israel protest outside a local synagogue in the Pico-Robertson area.
"Our Community Security Initiative is monitoring the situation and working with our local law enforcement partners to make sure our community is safe.”
Anti-Israel protests and encampments have spread across America following the October 7 attack and the start of Israel’s war against Hamas.
In November, Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, died when a young pro-Palestinian protester threw a megaphone at him during dueling demonstrations in the greater Los Angeles area.
