Analysis & Opinion

CAIR claims pro-Israel demonstrator provoked antisemitic attack on herself

The attacker pushed her down and burned the Israeli flag she was holding.

By Larry Estavan, Frontpage Magazine

Police are searching for a man in connection with a hate crime that took place during a pro-Israel demonstration in El Cerrito, California.

The attacker was part of a simultaneous, nearby pro-Palestine (Hamas) demonstration. He pushed a woman from behind, knocking her to the ground. Then he seized her Israeli flag and burned it in the street. Since he had his face wrapped in the style of an Islamic terrorist, the only description of him is that he was wearing a distinctive jacket.

In its report, “Woman with Israeli flag attacked during Gaza ceasefire protest in El Cerrito; suspect sought,” by Tim Fang and Jose Martinez, KPIX CBS5, January 8, 2024:

EL CERRITO – Police in El Cerrito have released photos of man suspected of a hate crime after they said a woman carrying an Israeli flag was attacked during a weekend protest calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Officers said Monday that ceasefire protesters and counter-protesters marched from neighboring Albany to El Cerrito on Saturday. About 100 protesters took over the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Carlson Boulevard for about an hour, while a group of counter-protesters holding Israeli flags stood on the sidewalk.

During the protest, police said a male protester pushed a woman to the ground from behind. He then took the woman’s Israel flag from her hands by force, then burned the flag in the street.

Police said the woman suffered a minor injury.

According to officers, the incident was captured on video and is being investigated as a hate crime….

KPIX, the San Francisco Bay Area CBS affiliate, includes a statement from the SFBA chapter of the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR spoke of “provocation by pro-genocide individuals who sought to intimidate and harass rally attendees advocating for peace and a permanent ceasefire.”

In other words, the pro-Israel side provoked the attack. This is completely contradictory to what the reporter was saying, what the police are saying, and what the TV station broadcasted, as well as to common sense.

In a phone conversation with KPIX, a station representative said that the station felt obligated to include this gratuitous statement from CAIR.

That is the problem: TV stations are serving the interests of CAIR. Local area newscasters will do what CAIR wants, and spread rumors, misinformation, personal attacks, incitement, defamation, and so on, because TV stations see CAIR as being an important voice, and take the larger viewing audience for granted.

The woman attacked by a Palestinian partisan said that she does not feel safe and that there should be an increased police presence, not just at pro-Israel demonstrations, but in general.

This is further evidence that the very tolerant San Francisco area is becoming unlivable for Jewish Americans.

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Yossi Licht
Tags: Antisemitism CAIR KPIX Misinformation San Francisco

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