Oakland City Council meeting speakers accused of ‘supporting Hamas’
(KRON) — Viral video clips of commenters at Monday night’s Oakland City Council meeting backing a cease-fire resolution in the Israel-Hamas war have drawn condemnation. California State Sen. Scott Weiner retweeted one clip in which a speaker claimed, “Israel murdered their own people on October 7th.”
“Calling Hamas a terrorist organization is ridiculous, racist, and plays into genocidal propaganda,” said another commenter in the same viral clip.
“Oakland City Council passed a reso calling for Gaza ceasefire,” Weiner posted on X, formerly Twitter. “When a council member asked to add language condemning Hamas, a stream of public comment praising & supporting Hamas ensued.”
“The council then rejected the request to condemn Hamas,” he continued. “Just awful.”
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“The public comment praising Hamas & defending the October 7 massacre of 1,2000 mostly Jews is despicable & unconscionable,” Weiner posted in a subsequent tweet. “What’s even worse is that the Oakland City Council majority rejected an amendment condemning Hamas. It’s a truly jarring decision by a public body.”
Another speaker at the meeting shown in the clip referred to Hamas not as a terrorist organization, but as “the armed wing of the unified Palestinian resistance.”
“Hamas is a terrorist organization,” tweeted California Gov. Gavin Newsom in response. “They must be called out for what they are: evil.”
Another speaker called the “notion that this was a massacre of Jews,” a “fabricated narrative.” The same speaker went on to claim, without citing evidence, that many of those killed on Oct. 7 were killed by the Israeli Defense Force.
Another commenter called reports of beheaded babies and mass rape “atrocity propaganda.”
“Hamas is not a terrorist organization just because the U.S. and Israel deems it so,” said another commenter.
Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel and the European Union.
“Hamas is a designated terrorist organization,” tweeted Rep. Adam Schiff in response to the same clip. “Their horrific attacks, rapes, killings, and kidnappings must be condemned.”
“It’s shocking to see people continue to downplay, deny, or even seek to justify their October 7th attacks.”
The Oakland City Council voted 8-0 in favor of a motion supporting a congressional resolution for a permanent ceasefire. A proposed amendment put forth by Oakland City Councilmember Dan Kalb to condemn killings and hostage-taking by Hamas was rejected by a 6-2 vote.
Councilmember Caroll Fire, who brought the initial resolution, said it went through several drafts and “intentionally attempted to de-politicize” the issue by “lifting up what we support and not what we condemn.” Fife called the issue of a cease-fire “deeply, deeply concerning” to Oakland residents and called for a moment of silence for lives lost on both sides of the conflict.
“I want Jewish children to live as much as I want Palestinian children to live,” she said.
Oakland’s resolution calling for a cease-fire follows a similar measure passed in nearby Richmond.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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