Several high-ranking Democratic politicians in California ripped Oakland residents Wednesday who loudly objected to condemning Hamas.
The city council of Oakland, California, passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire and amendments were proposed that would condemn Hamas, which residents fervently opposed. The comments from residents drew widespread condemnation on social media, including from Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Rep. Adam Schiff.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization. They must be called out for what they are: evil,” Newsom tweeted on Wednesday.
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“Hamas is a designated terrorist organization. Their horrific attacks, rapes, killings, and kidnappings must be condemned. It’s shocking to see people continue to downplay, deny, or even seek to justify their October 7th attacks,” Schiff tweeted Wednesday in response to video of the residents speaking.
Amendments proposed at the meeting to condemn Hamas for taking hostages during the deadly Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel that killed over 1,400 people were defeated by a 6-2 vote. Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire Nov. 21 to release hostages, which was extended by two more days on Monday.
“There have not been beheadings of babies and rapings,” one resident said during the meeting in a video clip. “Israel murdered their own people on October 7th!”
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“Calling Hamas a terrorist organization is ridiculous, racist and plays into genocidal propaganda that is flooding our media and that we should be doing everything possible to combat,” another resident claimed at the meeting.
Antisemitism is on the rise in the U.S. following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, particularly in left-leaning cities. Multiple elite colleges have also seen rises in antisemitism on their campuses, with several implementing antisemitism task forces due to antisemitic activities.
“Oakland City Council passed a reso calling for Gaza ceasefire. When a council member asked to add language condemning Hamas, a stream of public comment praising & supporting Hamas ensued. The council then rejected the request to condemn Hamas. Just awful,” Democratic California state Sen. Scott Wiener said Tuesday in a tweet.
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