First on FOX – Members of a Los Angeles synagogue have filed a lawsuit against three major protest groups, accusing them of orchestrating a riot last month that “violently drove Jews from their place of worship.”
“This was a modern-day pogrom, literally an afternoon of broken glass targeted at a Jewish family who was seeking to exercise their religious freedom in their place of worship,” Carly Gammill, director of the Stand With Us Center for Law and Justice (SCLJ), said in a press release.
“The organizers of this anti-Semitic riot need to learn that violence and intimidation cannot be used to deprive Jewish people of their First Amendment rights, and we are here to support the Jewish community in enforcing our laws to the fullest extent,” Gamil added.
SCLJ filed the lawsuit against Code Pink, the Palestinian Youth Movement and the WESPAC Foundation on behalf of seven members of the Adas Torah synagogue, where the protest took place on June 23. The lawsuit accuses the groups of threatening and intimidating conduct against multiple individuals, and seeks approximately $5,000 in damages for each violation, as well as “appropriate punitive damages.”
Netanyahu was reportedly upset by VP Harris’ comments about Israel after their meeting at the White House.
The lawsuit cites the use of bear spray and photos of members covered in blood after the protest, alleging that the protest went too far and escalated into violence and riots.
Armed private security guards stand at the main entrance of the Adas Torah Synagogue in Los Angeles, Monday, June 24, 2024. President Joe Biden condemned the violence that erupted over the weekend when Israeli and Hamas opponents of the Gaza war protested at the synagogue. (AP Photo/Damien Dvarganes) (Associated Press)
“Unfortunately, these images are no longer surprising,” the lawsuit alleges. “In fact, they are emblematic of an increasingly common occurrence: coordinated violence violently targeting America’s Jewish community.”
At least one arrest was made after protesters physically blocked the building’s entrance and allegedly harassed and intimidated people trying to enter the synagogue. President Biden condemned the incident on social media platform X.
Amid rising anti-Semitism, Jewish groups fear Harris presidency would be ‘far worse’
“I am appalled by the scenes outside Adas Torah Synagogue in Los Angeles. Intimidating Jewish people is dangerous, reprehensible, anti-Semitic and un-American,” Biden wrote.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the Los Angeles Police Department have come under fire from protesters on both sides for failing to stop the demonstrations from escalating.
Police officers in riot gear try to restore order at the scene of a violent altercation between Israeli and Palestinian supporters outside the Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles. (Getty Images)
“It was shocking to witness pro-Hamas thugs shut down synagogues and attack Jews in the streets,” one plaintiff told Fox News Digital, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “This is not the America I know and love.”
“Since there appears to be no other punishment for these criminals, we have decided to pursue punishment through the legal system,” the plaintiffs added. “We should not be doing this, but since Los Angeles law enforcement has failed to produce results, we have decided to take action.”
White House denounces ‘shameful’ pro-Hamas agitators in Washington
SCLJ argued that the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act should be enforced because it “imposes civil and criminal penalties on any person who intentionally injures, intimidates, or interferes, or attempts to injure, intimidate, or interfere with, by force or threat of force, or physical interference, any person lawfully exercising or attempting to exercise their First Amendment religious freedom right in a place of religious worship.”
“The evidence is overwhelming that these groups maliciously organized more than 200 people to use violence and intimidation to deprive Jewish citizens of their First Amendment religious freedom rights,” Mark Goldfeder, director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, said in a press release about the lawsuit.
Supporters of Israel confront pro-Palestinian protesters blocking access to the Adas Torah Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Los Angeles on June 23, 2024. (Photo: David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images)
“This is more than 200 clear violations of federal law and more than 200 clear violations of state law,” Goldfeder wrote. “Those responsible for violently preventing Jews from entering their houses of worship should face severe punishment.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
The complaint details past statements made by each group’s organizers, alleging, for example, that one PYM organizer “praised the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks while speaking on a panel” and that Code Pink members attended a conference in Iran with Holocaust deniers and met with Hamas associates “several times.”
Code Pink said it does not comment on ongoing litigation, while PYM and WESPAC had not responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment at time of publication. The Los Angeles Mayor’s Office had not responded at time of publication.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
