70 arrested in anti-Israel protest at San Francisco building housing Israeli consulate
SFPD says officers issued several warnings before beginning to detain people; consul-general says demonstrators did not enter the consulate’s offices
SAN FRANCISCO — US police on Monday arrested 70 anti-Israel demonstrators in San Francisco on trespassing charges after they entered the lobby of the building housing the Israeli consulate and refused to leave, police said
“Officers developed probable cause to arrest 70 suspects who refused to vacate the building,” police said in a statement. No injuries were reported.
Images showed officers leading protesters out of the building one by one and loading them into police vehicles, their hands bound by zip ties.
A group of pro-Palestinian protesters entered the building and occupied it for several hours. The protesters posted signs on the front doors of the building against Israel over the ongoing war in Gaza that was sparked by the Hamas terror group’s October 7 onslaught.
Police officers made multiple warnings ordering the demonstrators to leave before they moved in and started detaining people, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement.
Consul General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest Marco Sermoneta said the protesters arrived around 9 a.m. at the Financial District’s high-rise, but did not enter the consulate’s offices. He said his office was telling people that they might need to change their appointments.
San Francisco police officers were standing guard outside the building and told an AP journalist that it was not open to the public.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, protesters said they planned to stay until they were “forcibly” removed.
By 11:45 a.m, about six San Francisco police vehicles could be seen parked around the corner from the consulate, along with about six other officers and a San Francisco Fire Department ambulance waiting.
Photos and videos of the demonstrators posted on social media showed people sitting in a circle and chanting “Free, free Palestine!”
