Far-left activists from Code Pink are being accused of exploiting tragedy after linking California’s devastating wildfires to the conflict in Gaza, claiming both are fueled by policies targeting indigenous lands and broader environmental neglect.
Code Pink organizer Olivia DiNucci led a protest outside Sen. Alex Padilla’s California office on Wednesday, using the state’s raging wildfires as a platform to promote the group’s radical agenda.
Slamming Congress’s support for Israel “to continue to bomb and obliterate people in Gaza,” DiNucci alleged that California’s fire crisis is part of a global pattern of destruction, tying the environmental devastation to the conflict in Gaza, where Hamas rules.
“We are drawing the parallels where people in communities in California are being evacuated from their homes, and people in Gaza have been evacuated from their homes for the past 15 months,” DiNucci stated.
How are the California wildfires connected to the genocide in Gaza?@oliviadinucci & the CODEPINK DC team are in Congress today drawing the parallels. pic.twitter.com/IvdxRPZ5LV
— CODEPINK (@codepink) January 8, 2025
“Every bomb that goes off is being tested and built on sacrifice zones in this country, on indigenous lands,” she claimed, arguing that U.S. priorities are creating both ecological harm and human suffering. “We need that money for climate reparations, for health care, for housing, instead of going to further climate collapse and further the devastation and genocide of the people in Gaza.”
Code Pink, a self-described “anti-militarist, internationalist & feminist environmental movement,” is urging the redirection of federal funds toward climate reparations, housing, and health care rather than programs it says exacerbate crises at home and abroad.
“We are here today making the connection between the climate crisis, between endless militarism, that genocide is ecocide, and that we need to put that money into constituents and communities here at home,” the radical peace activist continued.
The group’s claims immediately drew widespread outrage, with many accusing Code Pink of exploiting the California fires for political theater.
“Fires are raging in Los Angeles, and thousands are losing their homes. Naturally, Code Pink goes through the halls of Congress with, ‘How can we make this all about Gaza?’” said commentator Joel M. Petlin.
Fires are raging in Los Angeles, and thousands are losing their homes and possessions in this disaster.
— Joel M. Petlin (@Joelmpetlin) January 8, 2025
So naturally, Code Pink goes through the halls of Congress with, "How can we make this all about Gaza?"
Antisemites aren't just stupid.
They are evil, too. https://t.co/NeTHqnlTUB
Other critics labeled the group’s actions “disaster appropriation,” arguing they used the suffering of Californians to promote their far-left, eco-political agenda. “Please tell us more about how you use other people’s pain to push your anti-American ideas,” one user remarked.
Please tell us more about disaster appropriation and how you use other people's pain to push your anti Israel agenda.
— Michael Tal Sharon🎗️ (@talsharon08) January 8, 2025
As I told others, the sad irony is that Israel would be the first to help with disaster relief and aid in rescue
“They hate America,” one X user insisted.
“The communists funded by the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] are drawing moral equivalence between Gaza and the California fires! How disgusting are they?” wrote another.
California’s wildfires are primarily driven by drought, high temperatures, and poor land management. Years of mismanagement, combined with natural challenges, have left the state vulnerable to devastating blazes that destroy homes, livelihoods, and ecosystems.
Founded as an anti-war organization, Code Pink has increasingly focused on connecting global conflicts with environmental activism, often targeting U.S. domestic policies in the process. The group’s recent actions highlight its tendency to leverage high-profile tragedies — such as California’s fires — for political messaging.
While the they try to frame Hamas as the obstacle towards a ceasefire, it is the US who has repeatedly blocked the peace process.
— CODEPINK (@codepink) August 20, 2024
Since 1945, the US has vetoed 37 UNSC draft resolutions about Palestine. pic.twitter.com/4PbxNFVdhF
The group has accused the U.S. — not Hamas — of sabotaging peace.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at