(Washington) US President Joe Biden said he was “horrified” on Monday after altercations that occurred on Sunday around a synagogue in Los Angeles, California, in a message published on the social network X.
“Intimidating Jewish churchgoers is dangerous, unreasonable, anti-Semitic and un-American,” he wrote.
The 81-year-old Democrat has repeatedly vowed to combat anti-Semitism, as the war in Gaza remains a politically sensitive issue in the United States, leading to protests on college campuses in particular.
Multiple altercations took place on Sunday in front of the Adas Torah synagogue, with shoving and sometimes beatings, between demonstrators often wearing keffiyehs and people displaying Israeli flags, according to several videos posted on social networks.
Pro-Palestinian protesters chanted controversial slogans calling for the liberation of Palestine “from the river (Jordan) to the sea” and calling for an “intifada” – “uprising” in Arabic.
According to several American media, the synagogue in front of which the demonstration took place was hosting a promotional event for a real estate company, specializing in the sale of properties located in Israel and the West Bank settlements.
California Governor Gavin Newsom called the incidents “revolting” on X.
“There is no excuse for attacking a place of worship,” insisted the Democrat. “Such anti-Semitic hatred has no place in California. »
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass denounced “heinous” violence.
“Los Angeles will not be a haven for anti-Semitism and violence. Those responsible for these acts will be found and held accountable,” she warned, announcing that she had reinforced the police presence in the neighborhood.