Jewish solidarity march held in Beverly Grove on 3-month anniversary of Hamas attack
BEVERLY GROVE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Three months after the attack by Hamas on Israel, hundreds of people in Beverly Grove marked the somber day by marching in support of those still held hostage.
Demonstrators took part in an afternoon rally, then walked along Beverly Boulevard. Some of the protesters condemned celebrities for posting what they say are antisemitic messages on social media.
"We're not going to remain quiet in the fact of hate," said Emily Austin, who participated in Monday's march. "I feel like oftentimes Jewish hate is overlooked. Or it's like, 'DEI, unless you're a Jew,' 'Me Too, unless you're a Jew.' I want to show them that if you're not going to be a good person, because you're a good person you're not going to have a choice anymore because we're not going to stay silent."
Christian Garcia said he was "here to support Israel. As an Israeli-Latino, I'm done with the hate, I'm done with all these ugly voices that are coming out on social media, these celebrities."
Activists on both sides of the conflict have held numerous demonstrations and rallies since the war started.
The fate of more than 100 people who were taken captive on Oct. 7 remains uncertain. More than 22,000 Palestinians have been killed a the Israeli military continues to launch strikes in Gaza against Hamas.
"The greatest thing any of us can do is be a source of inspiration for others," Israel supporter Brock Pierce said in Beverly Grove on Monday. "I hope with every step I take, it allows others to be more courageous in taking the steps that they need to take to stand in their truth."
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On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken faced tough talks with Israeli leaders on Gaza's post-war future, while Israel's military pushed ahead with its offensive in the beleaguered territory. Heavy bombardment and fighting shook refugee camps, sending Palestinians scrambling to find safety and hampering aid groups' efforts to get relief to the population.
The United States has pressed Israel to scale down its offensive in Gaza to more precise operations targeting Hamas. But the pace of death and destruction has remained largely the same, with several hundred Palestinians killed a day, according to health officials in Gaza. Israel has vowed to keep going until it has destroyed Hamas throughout the territory, in response to the Oct. 7 attack during which militants killed some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, in southern Israel and kidnapped around 250 others.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
