About 100 anti-Israel activists stormed and occupied the lobby of the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco on Monday, after police arrested several people for refusing to leave the premises.
It was not immediately clear how many activists were detained, FOX 2 in San Francisco reported, but a consulate spokesman said about 100 protesters had entered the building.
Police rushed to the scene in vans to remove the protesters, and the police station said at least 12 people were removed from the consulate.
San Francisco police said protesters were warned multiple times to leave the building before being detained.
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The Israeli consulate in San Francisco was occupied by anti-Israel demonstrators on Monday. (KTVU Photographer Alan Leon)
Protesters reportedly told the San Francisco Chronicle they wouldn’t leave unless forced, after which police barred the building’s doors and ordered protesters to leave, the outlet reported.
A consulate spokesperson told Fox News Digital that no staff members were injured.
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The Israeli consulate in San Francisco was occupied by anti-Israel demonstrators on Monday. (KTVU Photographer Alan Leon)
“We are appalled but not surprised that a small pro-Hamas mob is violently trying to disrupt our diplomatic mission operations. They will not succeed,” said Consul General Marco Sermoneta. “The people who entered the lobby of our consulate building are the same people who celebrated raping, maiming, burning alive and murdering hundreds of Israelis just one day later on October 7.”
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Sermoneta added that since Hamas invaded Israel that day, violent mobs of protesters have made Bay Area college campuses “unwelcome places for Jews” and “dangerous places.”
Sermoneta also said the rioters had turned the city council meeting into a “vile spectacle of anti-Semitism and genocide denial.”
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“appreciate [the San Francisco Police Department] We thank them for their swift response and we remain committed to ensuring all services continue to operate as normal,” he added.
