Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters and supporters of Israel clashed violently outside a synagogue in Los Angeles’ Pico Robertson neighborhood on Sunday.
Los Angeles Police Officer Tony Yim told City News Service that pro-Palestinian activists began gathering in front of the Adas Torah synagogue in the 9000 block of West Pico Boulevard shortly before 11 a.m. They were soon confronted by counter-demonstrators, many of whom were carrying Israeli flags.
Videos posted on social media showed fistfights breaking out among protesters, some of whom were brandishing sticks and the handles of protest signs, as police in riot gear stood nearby. Numerous scuffles were seen along the streets, with some protesters hurling obscenities as they were thrown to the ground.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests.
Pro-Palestinian protesters chant slogans near Adas Torah on West Pico Boulevard on June 23, 2024.
(Zoe Cranfill/Los Angeles Times)
Rabbi Herzl Irrian, founder of the JEM Community Center in Beverly Hills, told KCAL News that the protest “should not take place in front of a synagogue. I don’t see how Jews would come out in front of a mosque or Christians would come out in front of a mosque and do something like this.”
The video appears to show at least two pro-Palestinian protesters being removed from an SUV and detained near Pico Boulevard and Weatherly Drive, with LAPD officers removing a small child from the back seat of the vehicle.
The ongoing war in Gaza, which began with a Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, has led to numerous protests across the United States between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups.
The United States staunchly supports Israel’s goals of freeing hostages held in Gaza and defeating the militant group Hamas, but is increasingly concerned about the rising Palestinian death toll and humanitarian crisis caused by the war.
This is a developing story. City News Service contributed to this report.