A pro-Hamas rally this week in Teaneck, NJ turned violent, as hundreds of people took to the streets in protest of a real estate fair promoting Israeli properties in Judea and Samaria.
The fair, hosted at the Keter Torah synagogue, drew a mass crowd of protestors donning keffiyehs and waving Palestinian flags.
Chants of “Settlers, settlers, what do you say? How much land did you steal today?” were audible, reports the Guardian.
The demonstration was met with a smaller group of pro-Israel counter-protestors who waved Israeli flags and called for the release of hostages held in Gaza.
One counter-protestor yelled, “Please, I’m begging you. Just say Hamas is bad,” while others chanted “Free, free the hostages.”
Things turned violent, when the mob hurled objects and sprayed red paint at the counter-protestors, commuters, and pedestrians, according to the Bergen County Jewish Action Committee (BCJAC).
BCJAC spokesman Yigal Gross strongly condemned the pro-Hamas rally, calling it “a cynical attempt to target a religious institution under false pretenses as part of a coordinated and malicious campaign to harass Teaneck’s Jewish community.”
Gross voiced concerns over the dangers of singling out religious institutions for protests, especially those attended by families and young children. He highlighted that similar protests, such as a recent one in Englewood, led to chaos that included vandalism, violence, and arrests.
