In a shocking incident, anti-Israel demonstrators defaced the Los Angeles National Cemetery, a hallowed resting place for nearly 90,000 veterans who served the United States from World War I through the Vietnam War.
Footage circulated on the internet depicted a protestor spray-painting the words "Free Gaza" along with an inverted red triangle on the entrance of the National Cemetery. The incident occurred during a protest that led to the closure of a major boulevard outside the US Federal Building on Saturday.
The crowd, many of whom were donning traditional Palestinian keffiyehs, were seen brandishing Palestinian flags and placards that accused President Biden of facilitating genocide and equated Zionists with Nazis.
The protestors chanted, "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," a slogan that the Anti-Defamation League has classified as antisemitic, arguing that it advocates for the eradication of the State of Israel. Other chants included "long live Palestine," "long live intifada," and "Biden, Biden you're a liar, we demand a ceasefire."
The term "intifada," which was also spray-painted on the Los Angeles National Cemetery sign, refers to the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip that began in 1987.
At this time, it remains uncertain whether any arrests have been made in connection with the vandalism at the national cemetery. The Post has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for further details.
The actions of the protestors have been widely condemned. "VA national cemeteries are where our nation's heroes are laid to rest, and any act of vandalism is unacceptable," said Terrence Hayes, a spokesperson for the Department of Veterans Affairs, in a statement to Fox News. "We are taking immediate steps to restore the wall at the Los Angeles National Cemetery to its original state."
The cemetery also issued a statement on its Facebook page, expressing its commitment to restoring the defaced sign and working with law enforcement on their investigation. It later expressed gratitude to the Los Angeles County Graffiti Unit for power washing the graffiti.
Several elected officials have also voiced their disapproval of the vandalism. Congressman Brad Sherman, who represents the area, labeled the protestors as anti-American. "More proof that the people who hate #Israel also hate America," he posted on X. "Here, at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in my district, they deface a cemetery for those who gave their lives to end slavery and protect the world from fascism."
Senator Marsha Blackburn echoed these sentiments on Facebook, stating, "This disgusting act reminds us of their evil intentions."
City council candidate Sam Yebri, who is Jewish, accused the protestors of antisemitism. "Today, pro-Hamas extremists in LA sunk to a new low, vandalizing the venerable grounds of the Los Angeles National Cemetery, where 85K American heroes who sacrificed their lives for our freedom are [interred]," he wrote. "They even used a Nazi concentration camp symbol of an upside [down] red triangle. The anti-America crowd returned not to clean up their vile crime but to add a pro-genocide against Jews postscript: 'intifada,'" Yebri continued. "Jews are becoming increasingly unsafe in America because our leaders refuse to acknowledge the danger posed by these growing extremist forces in America," he claimed.
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