A violent anti-Israel demonstration that quickly degenerated into chaos near a Los Angeles synagogue will likely have the opposite effect than what supporters of the Palestinians intended, an expert told Fox News Digital.
On June 23, violence broke out outside the Adas Torah synagogue between supporters of Israel and opponents of its war against Hamas. Clashes in the predominantly Jewish Pico-Robertson neighborhood led to a fight and at least one person was arrested after rioters allegedly attempted to physically block the building’s entrance and harassed and intimidated those trying to enter the synagogue.
“What we're seeing is something that does absolutely nothing for the Palestinian people,” said Adam Swart, CEO and founder of Crowds on Demand, a California-based company which specializes in providing crowds on demand for protests, he told Fox News Digital. “They are alienating one of their main potential allies, which is left-leaning American Jews,” who Swart noted often oppose Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and do not support Israel’s war in Gaza.
LA Mayor Criticizes 'Disgusting' Violence After Anti-Israel Agitators Blockade Synagogue
Supporters of Israel clash with pro-Palestinian protesters blocking access to the Adas Torah Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Los Angeles, June 23, 2024. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images)
Protests in support of Palestinians have raged for months since Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping hundreds more, including some Americans. The conflict has fueled a humanitarian crisis in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
However, the June 23 event prompted President Biden to condemn threats against Jewish members of the Adas Torah synagogue.
“I am appalled by the scenes unfolding outside the Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles. Intimidating Jewish congregants is dangerous, unconscionable, anti-Semitic and un-American,” Biden said in a post on X.
Riot police are seen trying to restore order at the scene of a violent altercation between pro-Israel supporters and Palestinians outside the Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles. (Fake Images)
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the Los Angeles Police Department have come under fire from protesters on both sides for failing to prevent the demonstration from escalating.
“A more proactive response, initially keeping protesters across the street and separated from any counter-protesters, would have prevented the violence we witnessed at the end of the demonstration,” Adas Torah said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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President Biden said he was “horrified” by the incident outside a Los Angeles synagogue. (Fake Images)
But police are right to be reluctant to arrest protesters, no matter how misguided they may be, because the department wants to encourage free speech, Swart said.
“The problem is when you get a permissive attitude towards violent activity,” he said. “The police see it as a pro-Palestinian protest, so we have to treat it as a protest and not as a mob, a racist mob attacking bystanders. As someone who organises protests for a living, I hate to see this called a protest.”
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Justice Department will investigate the weekend protest. He said the agency's Civil Rights Division, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California are gathering evidence on the matter.
“Let me pledge to the Jewish community that this Department of Justice will do everything in its power, working with federal and state and local partners, to ensure the safety of the community,” he said during a news conference on anti-Semitic crimes. “And as attorney general, I will do everything in my power to achieve that.”
Eldar Avital, 12, left, joins pro-Israel supporters in condemning a violent protest last weekend outside the Adas Torah synagogue, as members of the Jewish community gather at the Simon Wiesenthal Center on Monday in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
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Swart noted that violent or illegal actions by protesters against Israel actually “harm” Palestinians by alienating potential supporters and partners who may be put off by their harsh and confrontational tactics.
“This is no longer about Palestine,” he said. “It is an excuse for 'anarchist mobs' to commit acts of violence and destruction of property and somehow justify it with the suffering of people 8,000 miles away who gain absolutely nothing from their actions.”
Crowds on Demand has received about 200 requests to participate in protests related to the Israel-Palestine conflict, Swart said.
“This is an excuse for 'anarchist mobs' to commit acts of violence and destruction of property and somehow justify it behind the suffering of people 8,000 miles away…”
An armed private security guard stands at the entrance gates of the Adas Torah synagogue on Monday, June 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
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“We're staying away from that topic for now because we don't see a constructive way to engage,” he said, adding that the company has turned down other lucrative requests that don't align with its values, which include making America and the world a better place, he said.
Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
