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Brawls break out outside the Los Angeles ‘Museum of Tolerance’ over pro-Israel movie screening

November 9, 2023 | | Print Article

Fights between pro-Israel and pro-Hamas protesters broke out outside the Los Angeles Museum of Tolerance this Wednesday following the screening of footage depicting Hamas’ horrific Jan. 7th terrorist attack on Israel.

“The 43-minute film ‘Bearing Witness’ was touted as featuring ‘extremely graphic and violent’ footage “documenting the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th, 2023,” according to local station KABC.

The film’s screening was reportedly planned by Israeli actress Gal Gadot, though she wasn’t in attendance Wednesday.

The problem was that pro-Hamas zealots took offense to Hamas’ blatant war crimes being aired publicly.

“The screening generated controversy and threats on social media, with supporters of the Palestinian cause accusing the ‘Wonder Woman’ actress of supporting genocide, while backers of Israel came to her defense,” KABC notes.

And so, angered by the scheduled screening, the pro-Hamas zealots called on their fellow zealots to show up at the screening Wednesday and shut it down:

The zealots did exactly as asked, showing up en masse Wednesday to start trouble and reportedly attack Israel supporters.

“Inside, a private screening of video of atrocities from the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel was underway. Outside, horns were sounding, flags were waving, and shouting matches were erupting,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

But things didn’t really turn up until after the screening, at which point “tensions reached a boiling point … with pepper spray and punches flying in the parking lot of a nearby Shell gas station,” according to the Times.

“After most of the protesters dispersed, a smaller group was arguing in a gas station parking lot. The fight resulted in pulled hair and a few people being pepper sprayed. A Times photographer had his glasses broken. At least one woman was punched in the face by a man who then walked away while police were rushing to stop the group from fighting,” the Times notes.

“An LAPD helicopter hovered overhead asking the crowd to disperse. About a dozen officers intervened to separate the crowd. The area was doused in spilled milk and water as people tried to wash the pepper spray from their eyes,” according to the Times.

Watch some video footage of the altercations below:

According to The Hollywood Reporter, it appears the media are partly to blame for what happened.

“Another media outlet leaked the location at which it would be taking place, resulting in threats against the museum and necessitating an FBI advance team in the days leading up to it,” the outlet confirmed.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, was not pleased by the fighting that erupted.

“We cannot allow current worldwide tension to devolve into this unacceptable violence in our city. This is a time of immense pain and distress for thousands of Angelenos. We must stand together,” she tweeted after the screening.

All this comes days after a pro-Israel supporter died after being hit with a microphone at a pro-Israel rally in the LA neighborhood of Thousand Oaks.

The suspected perp has since been identified as Loay Alnaji, 50, a computer science professor at Moorpark College. His home was raided late Sunday evening, according to the Daily Mail.

“My husband was getting home from Costco when he saw a SWAT team, six cops with rifles and full gear. Their vehicles were not police cars, they were unmarked,” Alnaji’s neighbor told the Daily Mail.

“It’s shocking. As a Moorpark resident, I don’t like when anything happens here, as we’re known as one of the safest cities,” the neighbor added.

Just how radical is Alnaji? So much so that online he’d reportedly posted a video of a pro-Palestinian activist, Shahid King Bolsen, comparing the murderous terrorist group Hamas to historic civil rights icons.

“If someone asked me to condemn Hamas, I would say, what’s the rush? Let’s let history decide. You condemned Nelson Mandela until you didn’t, until he was a hero. You condemned Mahatma Gandhi until you didn’t. Let’s wait and see, because you might change your mind on this one too,” Bolsen reportedly said in the video.

Vivek Saxena
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