Activists protest outside CNN anchor Jake Tapper's home, hit his coverage of Israel-Hamas war

Activists, including a volunteer from the group CODEPINK, assembled outside the home of CNN anchor Jake Tapper last week, demonstrating over his coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.

Video of the incident circulated on X, formerly known as Twitter, beginning on Friday, showing demonstrators standing on the street and shouting outside the home. CODEPINK did not formally organize the protest.

One protester, holding a bullhorn, claimed Tapper had "spewed Israeli propaganda." The group of activists also criticized him for not referring to the deaths of civilians in Gaza as a "genocide."

Eventually the video shows Tapper's children, whose faces are blurred, standing on a balcony and waving at the protesters while playing the U.S. national anthem.

"You may be laughing now, but one day you will realize the damage that your dad has caused and I promise this big house won’t be worth it," said the protester holding the bullhorn. "You’re waving and you’re watching and you think it’s really funny, but the truth is − is that it’s really sick, okay?"

Tapper, who is Jewish, has reported extensively on the devastation in Gaza but also called out incidents of antisemitism on college campuses amid demonstrations against Israel's war. His reporting has been more scrutinized by some left-leaning observers as of late, along with journalists and multiple different outlets.

The war in Gaza continues to rage in the months since Hamas attacked Israel, a top U.S. ally, on Oct. 7, 2023 killing roughly 1,200 Israelis.

Reports claim the Palestinian death roll are in the tens of thousands, and with the U.N. human rights office said last week that the Israeli military may have committed multiple war crimes and has made little effort to protect civilians.

In response, pro-Palestinian activists have focused some ire on members of the press who they argue have downplayed the bloodshed and devastation in Gaza.

U.S. officials, including President Joe Biden, have said Israeli forces are not committing a genocide in Gaza.

Some Twitter users spoke up in defense of Tapper in recent days, calling the demonstration outside his home "gross" and "unacceptable."

"These people are videotaping themselves screaming and harassing the family of one of the NICEST, respectful, and responsible news anchors in the business," Amanda Carpenter, a writer for Protect Democracy, a nonprofit group found by former Obama administration attorneys.

"Talk about telling on yourselves," she added.

Tapper is set to moderate the presidential debate between Biden and former President Donald Trump alongside fellow CNN anchor Dana Bash on Thursday, the first time the candidates have faced off since 2020.

Washington's Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that it responded to the block where demonstrators gathered on Friday morning, but officers did not take a report. USA TODAY has reached out the the U.S. Secret Service for additional information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Activists protest outside CNN anchor Jake Tapper's home over coverage