Advocates for Black Liberation, with ties to a far-left activist group and a PAC supporting Kamala Harris, have controversially commended the killings of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington, D.C.
Kamau Franklin, a leftist political organizer and former attorney, endorsed an online statement from an anti-Israel organization that termed the May 21 shooting near the capital’s Jewish Museum as “a legal act of resistance against the Zionist state.” Franklin has a background with the Center for Constitutional Rights, the American Friends Service Committee, and the Black Voters Issues PAC, which has received funding from a group linked to billionaire donor George Soros.
The joint statement labeled Elias Rodriguez, the suspect in the shooting, as a defender of these principles, asserting that “such anti-violence is legal.” Rodriguez was reported to have shouted phrases like “free free Palestine” during his arrest, indicating he “did it for Gaza,” according to authorities.
Franklin is also recognized as the National Director of Community Movement Builders, an organization focused on combating various forms of discrimination. Currently not registered as a lawyer in New York or Georgia, Franklin has been active in several leftist groups and has raised questions about law enforcement’s handling of crime and terrorism issues.
After his time at the Constitutional Rights Center in the 2000s, Franklin engaged in a 2023 panel discussing perceived injustices in anti-terrorism laws. Notably, he has recently articulated support for actions described as resistance against Israel, further blurring lines for some in the left.
His name has appeared in the National Conference of Black Lawyers, established in 1968, and he worked as a regional director for the American Friends Service Committee from 2014 to at least 2015, advocating for liberal policies in various areas.
The National Lawyers Guild, with chapters across law schools and nearly 40 states, hosted Franklin in a 2023 webinar discussing allegations regarding police conduct linked to protests against perceived terrorism. As of April, he also served as treasurer for the Black Voters Issues PAC. However, the PAC has not publicly commented on the recent violence.
The Collegiate institutions and legal groups such as the Constitutional Rights Center and the National Lawyers Guild didn’t respond when approached for comments.
Franklin’s co-signed statement characterizing the D.C. shootings as “legal” has sparked a divide among some leftist factions, leading to discussions about whether members of the Democratic Socialists of America should take a stand against Rodriguez’s actions. The DSA remarked that the comments reflected personal opinions and not the organization’s official stance.
In a post from May 26, Franklin shared a link to a site advocating for Rodriguez, emphasizing that “Individual Behaviors Can Provoke Resistance.”
Critics have pointed out Franklin’s connections to various left-wing entities as indicative of a troubling trend, suggesting there are extremists within the political left who glorify violence. One observer remarked that the situation could deteriorate further unless violence is renounced within leftist circles.
