70 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at San Francisco Israeli Consulate
Police arrested dozens protesters who occupied the first floor of the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco's Financial District on Monday.
Shortly after 9 a.m., about 70 protesters gathered inside the building at 456 Montgomery St., where the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest is located.
"Officers have been making multiple warnings to the individuals to disperse and exit the private property on their own," San Francisco police said in a statement at 12:30 p.m.
Police are detaining protesters, to be cited for trespassing, and by 1:10 p.m. about two dozen had been led out of the building and loaded in a police van.
San Francisco police later confirmed officers arrested 69 people who refused to vacate the building, cited them, and released them from San Francisco County Jail. Another demonstrator was cited and released at the scene for the same charge, police said.
The protesters first posted photos on social media shortly after 9 a.m., from inside the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest.
The photos show protesters with banners that read "Zionism Kills" and "Committing a genocide makes Jews less safe; Not in my name!"
Video posted on X showed protesters inside the building chanting "Long live the intifada!"
Consul General Marco Sermoneta issued this statement to CBS News Bay Area following the demonstration:
"We are appalled, but not surprised, at the attempt by a handful of pro-Hamas rioters to violently compromise our ability to operate as a diplomatic mission. They will not succeed.
The people who entered the lobby of the building where the Consulate is situated are the same people who have celebrated the rape, maiming, burning alive, and murder of hundreds of Israelis barely a day after October 7th.
Since then, these mobs have been making campuses across the Bay Area inhospitable and even dangerous to Jews, and turning city council meetings into despicable spectacles of antisemitism and mass-atrocity denial.
We thank SFPD for their rapid response and will continue to ensure that we provide all services as usual."
