Top California Democrats are responding to residents of their state who spoke out in opposition to a measure condemning the terrorist organization Hamas.
On Monday, the city council in Oakland, California, unanimously passed a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
However, an amendment by Councilman Dan Kalb to condemn Hamas for its slaughter of roughly 1,200 people in Israel and taking roughly 240 more hostages failed.
A video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed Oakland residents downplaying the atrocities committed by Hamas.
“There have not been beheading of babies and rapings. Israel murdered their own people on Oct. 7,” one woman claimed.
Another resident claimed it was “ridiculous” and “racist” and “plays into genocidal propaganda” to call Hamas a terrorist organization.
Still, another woman falsely claimed, “The notion that this was a massacre of Jews is a fabricated narrative.”
Watch the video below:
Last night the Oakland City Council voted on a resolution to call for a ceasefire.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) November 28, 2023
A city council member tried to insert language condemning Hamas.
This was the reaction… pic.twitter.com/r7aTb2mkrQ
One man insisted, “To hear them complain about Hamas violence is like listening to a wife-beater complain when his wife finally stands up and fights back.”
Meanwhile, another woman claimed the people who opposed the cease-fire resolution were “old white supremacists.”
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) shared the video and wrote, “Hamas is a designated terrorist organization. Their horrific attacks, rapes, killings, and kidnappings must be condemned.”
“It’s shocking to see people continue to downplay, deny, or even seek to justify their October 7th attacks,” he added.
Hamas is a designated terrorist organization. Their horrific attacks, rapes, killings, and kidnappings must be condemned.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) November 29, 2023
It's shocking to see people continue to downplay, deny, or even seek to justify their October 7th attacks. https://t.co/fJGebOtqup
Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) wrote, “Hamas is a terrorist organization. They must be called out for what they are: evil.”
Hamas is a terrorist organization.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 29, 2023
They must be called out for what they are: evil. https://t.co/x5btzvNX5k
Journalist Yashar Ali reported the meeting lasted six hours. He added about one-third of it was “filled with comments like the one in the video below. But other comments were about the devastating loss of life and others talking about their family members in Gaza.”
Check out some of the other reactions below:
If there was a city council meeting at which rightwingers said anything remotely as evil, stupid, wrong, and indefensible as this every single major media outlet would run it constantly and every Republican politician would be asked to condemn it. Even if you think I’m wrong,… https://t.co/nd8rZMzehY
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) November 29, 2023
“Hamas is not a terrorist organization just because the US and Israel deem it so”
— Ben Dreyfuss (@bendreyfuss) November 28, 2023
Ok but what about the fact that they (1) are an organization which (2) carries out terrorist attacks? https://t.co/71WkEuyux8
Horrifying… these so-called ‘progressives’ are all brazen terrorist sympathisers. https://t.co/qImsPoynUL
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 29, 2023
Imagine being so privileged you have the luxury of denying Hamas are terrorists.
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) November 29, 2023
Imagine being so privileged you can believe the bullshit you’re seeing on TikTok about a conflict far away.
Imagine being so privileged you don’t have to fight Hamas to rescue your children. https://t.co/w8HXTN3oMI
Moral Depravity on parade…. This is the pro-Hamas, pro-murder wing of he Left. https://t.co/eZcFMsOImA
— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) November 28, 2023
Former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau chimed in, “I promise it’s possible to call for a ceasefire and criticize the Israeli government for the appalling civilian death toll in Gaza without parroting Hamas propaganda that you got from some random social media account. My God.”