While everyone must have the right to protest peacefully – as thousands of both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists did yesterday – there can be no place for violence, hate or antisemitism.
It is entirely possible to advocate for Palestinian freedom and human rights without supporting a terrorist organization like Hamas. Echoing pro-Hamas slogans and vandalizing public spaces and property with pro-Hamas graffiti – as occurred in a relatively small protest near Union Station yesterday – are both vile and abhorrent. It instills fear and fuels hate while undermining the very cause such individuals claim to care about.
We agree with Vice President Harris: Those spouting dangerous and hate-fueled rhetoric, and associating with the brutal terror organization Hamas, must be condemned. We do so unequivocally.
We are also deeply alarmed by reports that activists with Jewish Voice for Peace harassed congressional staff on Capitol Hill during a protest in the rotunda this Tuesday. Individuals reportedly shouted, beat on office doors and attempted to force entry into Representative Dan Kildee’s office, intimidating staff inside.
As Representative Kildee has said, there is a difference between peaceful protest and disorderly conduct. We cannot normalize violence, threats and intimidation in our discourse.