LOS ANGELES, California — The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is objecting to a proposal by the L.A. City Council to bar anti-Israel protesters from the entrances to synagogues.
The proposal is a response to a rise in antisemitism in the city associated with anti-Israel protests, especially several incidents in June in which pro-Palestinian activists targeted local synagogues, obstructing entrances in one case.
City Council members Katy Yaroslavsky and Bob Blumenfield demanded action in June, calling for more resources for safety. They are the authors of the new proposal, which would require an eight-foot “bubble zone” around synagogues and other religious institutions.
The Los Angeles Times described the proposal in August, reporting that it “would make it a misdemeanor for protesters to intentionally block the entrances of healthcare facilities, schools or religious institutions — or demonstrate within 8 feet of anyone trying to get inside. The protective 8-foot “bubble” would be required within 100 feet of a facility’s entrance.” It would apply to mosques as well as to synagogues.
CAIR has objected to the proposal, alleging that it intentionally targets pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activists:
The letter from CAIR California, which appears undated, urges the Los Angeles city attorney to examine the “underlying context” of the proposal, saying it is “targeting pro-Palestinian demonstrators’ First Amendment rights.”
The letter claims that “peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters have courageously stood up against the ongoing violations of human rights in Gaza” at local universities and other sites. (There have been several acts of violence by the “peaceful” protesters; this reporter was assaulted by “peaceful” protests at a campus “encampment” in April.)
CAIR’s national executive director, Nihad Awad, said that he was happy at the terror attack of October 7, 2023.
In addition, as Breitbart News has noted in the past:
In 2007-8, CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator in the terror financing trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. That case, in turn, led the FBI to discontinue its work with the organization. In 2009, a federal judge ruled that the government “produced ample evidence to establish” the ties of CAIR with Hamas, the Palestinian terror organization. The United Arab Emirates labeled CAIR a terrorist organization in 2014 (a decision that the Obama administration opposed).
CAIR’s Los Angeles chapter also offered to help the family of two Islamic terrorists in nearby San Bernardino in 2015.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
