Van Jones Condemns Left-Wing Protesters for Attacking Jews in L.A.

CNN's Van Jones issued a stern rebuke to far-left extremists after pro-Hamas protesters targeted Jews outside a synagogue in southern California this weekend. The incident occurred in front of the Adas Torah synagogue on Sunday morning, where the protesters sought to block entry and disrupt a peaceful pro-Israel rally.

Jones minced no words in his condemnation. “Listen, if you don’t like what’s happening in Gaza, it’s your right to protest. That’s not a problem. But you protest a policy. You don’t protest a people,” he stated. “You don’t bum-rush a Jewish neighborhood and run up on a synagogue. That’s not protesting a policy. That’s protesting a people. And that is a cross of any line in America. And it has to be called out.”

• The attack took place in a neighborhood already on edge after a series of violent anti-Semitic incidents.

• Last year, two Orthodox Jewish men were shot in back-to-back hate crimes in the same area, adding to the community's trauma.

• Jones emphasized that the protesters' actions were more akin to a "pogrom" — a violent attack on Jews — rather than a legitimate protest.

Jones highlighted the profound impact such actions have on already vulnerable communities. “This is a neighborhood that’s already been traumatized, not just October 7th, which traumatized all Jewish communities, but that neighborhood in particular,” he said.

The CNN commentator also addressed the broader context of the Middle East conflict, recognizing the complexities involved. “I think it’s a little bit naive for some of the people to think that if Israel would just suddenly just stop doing what it’s doing, that rainbows and bunnies and sunshine would break out over the Middle East, it would all be fine,” Jones remarked. He underscored the ongoing violence and the need for a nuanced understanding of the situation.

Jones made it clear that attacking local Jewish communities under the guise of protest crosses a fundamental moral line. “How you treat your neighbors, how you treat people in your community, is not complicated. You don’t run up — I haven’t seen Jewish people running up on mosques with Israeli flags. If they did that, I’d be denouncing that, too,” he stated. “There are certain things you don’t do. It is a red line.”

Jones's powerful words serve as a reminder that genuine protest should never morph into acts of hate and violence. His call for decency and respect in how communities engage with each other resonates deeply in these divided times.

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