A spotlight has been cast on Oakland, California, and other progressive cities after residents expressed support for Hamas during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Community activist Seneca Scott has called on progressives to condemn Hamas, citing incidents of antisemitism occurring across the East San Francisco Bay Area. Scott, who founded the neighborhood safety nonprofit Neighbors Together Oakland, criticized what he called “performative altruism” among activists in Oakland, stating that they are merely echoing what they see in their algorithm.
Scott highlighted cases of vandalism against synagogues, Jewish students feeling unsafe on campuses, and hate graffiti sprayed on the walls of coffee shops in Oakland. He urged true progressives to take the lead in denouncing Hamas, emphasizing that they should not support a group that uses rape, torture, and murder to gain power.
Recent weeks have seen Oakland residents praising Hamas at a city council meeting, a coffee shop being vandalized with antisemitic messages, and the University of California, Berkeley facing accusations of unchecked antisemitism in a lawsuit. Rabbi Mark Bloom of Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland revealed that his congregation has experienced antisemitism in local schools and during public Hanukkah celebrations. As a precaution, the synagogue has hired a guard to ensure safety.
A viral video also surfaced, showing Oakland coffee shop employees blocking a Jewish woman from using the bathroom and subjecting her to anti-Israel remarks. Although it is unclear if the employees were connected to the vandalism, the incident prompted the shop’s owners to apologize and terminate the employees seen in the video.
During a public speaking session at an Oakland City Council meeting, speakers denied that Hamas is a terrorist organization, despite a failed amendment introduced by a Jewish council member to condemn the group. Scott criticized these speakers, stating that their indifference to the atrocities committed by Hamas reflects their own vanity and narcissism.
Scott warned that the support for Hamas is damaging Oakland’s reputation and putting progressive cities, college universities, and their presidents in a dangerous position by aligning themselves with terrorism. He cited instances of violence against Jewish students on the U.C. Berkeley campus, including an assault on a student carrying an Israeli flag.
Pro-Palestinian protesters also blocked the entrance to an Oakland port, demanding an end to military aid for Israel and a ceasefire in Gaza. Scott emphasized that while attention is focused on the Palestinian cause, other persecuted Muslim groups, such as the Uyghurs in China and victims of the civil war in Ethiopia, receive significantly less activism in the U.S.
The article aims to shed light on the rising antisemitism in Oakland and other progressive cities, fueled by misguided support for Hamas during the conflict in Gaza. It calls for true progressives to condemn Hamas and recognize the dangers of aligning with a group that employs violence and terror to achieve its objectives.
