Police arrest protesters at building housing Israeli consulate in San Francisco

Police arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters for trespassing after they occupied the lobby of a San Francisco building housing the Israeli consulate.

The police put zip ties on the protesters’ hands, put them on wagons and drove away from the scene.

Officers arrested 69 people who refused to leave the building, served them with summonses and released them after being taken to the San Francisco County Jail, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement Monday. Another protester was issued a citation and released at the scene.

A group of protesters entered the building on Monday and occupied it for several hours. The protesters placed banners at the main door of the place demanding an end to the war between Israel and Hamas.

Police repeatedly ordered protesters to leave the building, until they decided to enter and began arresting people, the police department said.

The consul general of Israel for the northwest region of the United States, Marco Sermoneta, said that the protesters arrived around 9 a.m. at a skyscraper located in the city’s financial district, but that they did not enter the consulate offices. .

San Francisco police officers stood guard outside the building and told a reporter from the AP that the place was not open to the public.

Hours earlier, the protesters had declared to the newspaper San Francisco Chronicle that they would not leave until they were forced to. Inside, protesters could be heard shouting slogans.

Camp in front of Los Angeles City Hall

Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protesters camped outside Los Angeles City Hall on Monday night.

About 50 activists with 20 tents were seen lining the sidewalks in front of the building between Main and First streets, according to KABC-TV. Several stores displayed Palestinian flags and phrases such as “Free Palestine” and “Free Gaza.”

Los Angeles police said on X, formerly Twitter, that they were monitoring the unauthorized demonstration and urged people to look out for each other on the street.

No arrests or injuries were reported. Police activated a tactical alert in the area as a precaution.

More than 3,000 people were detained on university campuses Americans before summer vacation began last month, including arrests at the University of California’s Los Angeles, San Diego and Irvine campuses.

Israel has faced increasingly intense criticism by the international community for its offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has killed 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, whose count does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Israel blames Hamas for the civilian deaths, accusing the group of operating in densely populated areas.

He Hamas attack on October 7 in southern Israel triggered the Israeli offensive. Hamas fighters killed about 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and took about 250 hostage. Around 80 hostages are believed to be still alive in Gaza, along with the remains of 30 others.

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