Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza abruptly ended Adam Schiff’s victory celebration
Israel-Hamas, 2024 elections, California politics
Laura J. Nelson Benjamin Oresces Karen GarciaMarch 6, 2024
More than two dozen protesters calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip abruptly ended Rep. Adam B. Schiff’s victory speech at an election party in Hollywood on Tuesday evening.
Early results showed Schiff (D-Burbank) leading the primary for the U.S. Senate seat previously held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
upwards
a November showdown with Republican and retired Dodgers star Steve Garvey.
With a healthy lead in early returns, Schiff took the stage at the Avalon Theater in Hollywood on Tuesday around 9:45 p.m. to address a gathering of campaign workers and other supporters. About two minutes into his victory speech, he was interrupted by a group of demonstrators who pushed toward the podium, shouting, “Ceasefire now” and “Let Gaza live!”
Security guards tried in vain to remove the demonstrators from the crowd. About a minute into the singing, Schiff said over the noise, “We are so lucky, so fortunate, that we live in a democracy where we all have the right to protest.”
As the protesters drew closer to the stage, a campaign worker and a security guard gestured for Schiff to leave. But Schiff continued talking, thanking former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), retired Sen. Barbara Boxer and California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas for their support.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside Biden fundraiser
Schiff said he found himself “thinking a lot about Senator Feinstein … who was an incredible giant in the United States Senate.” It was difficult to hear Schiff’s comments during a shouting match between protesters and Schiff supporters chanting his name.
Schiff hugged his wife, Eve Schiff, and left the stage, saying, “I want to recognize the right of our protesters, and I look forward to working with all of you and moving forward to victory in November.”
The Israel-Hamas issue became an animating issue in the California Senate campaign in the five months after Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 in a raid on Israel. After the attack, Israel attempted to eliminate Hamas through a devastating attack on the Gaza Strip. That campaign has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, many of them civilians, and more than 240 Israeli soldiers, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.
Schiff’s opponent
,
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) told voters during a recent debate that she would support a Senate resolution calling for an unconditional and immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The three other frontrunners Schiff, Garvey and Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) said they wouldn’t.
Schiff told reporters at a Sunday campaign event in San Francisco that he supports the temporary ceasefire that international mediators have been working on for weeks. President Biden also publicly endorsed the deal, which includes a 40-day ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas before the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
“Look, we have to release the hostages,” Schiff said. “We also need to tackle the humanitarian crisis, we need to make sure we can get aid in and people out. … The people of Gaza are also innocent victims of what Hamas has done by provoking this war and entrenching itself in the civil war. I hope we get this agreement and there will be a lull in the fighting.”
The California Assembly was closed due to a protest calling for an Israeli ceasefire
Schiff, the most pro-Israel of Democrats seeking a Senate seat, was buoyed by a wave of spending by pro-Israel groups in the final days of the primaries. That includes a $5 million contribution by the independent expenditure arm of the pro-Israel lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, to an independent expenditure committee supporting Schiff’s candidacy.
Such groups, known as super PACs, can raise and spend an unlimited amount of money but cannot partner with candidates or donate directly to their campaigns.
A spokesperson for the AIPAC super PAC, United Democracy Project, told The Times that the group had recently paid the $5 million contribution. It has not yet been disclosed in federal campaign finance disclosures. The victory of the ship
on
Tuesday “further demonstrates that being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics,” the spokesperson said. “Representative Schiff’s strong support for the U.S.-Israel relationship reflects the views of the vast majority of Americans.”
Los Angeles resident Estee Chandler, the founder and organizer of Jewish Voice for Peace-Los Angeles, told The Times after the event that she and other Jewish activists “know what it is to vilify oppressed minorities so that you can normalize carnage, and “We will not have it done in our name.”
“Our government and Adam Schiff have refused to call for a permanent ceasefire,” Chandler said. “It’s a shame. This is what genocide looks like. Children are now literally dying of hunger.”
Biden is trying to balance the protests in Gaza and the right to free speech as demonstrators disrupt his events
A representative for Schiff’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Ceasefire activists have staged protests at a number of events in Schiff since the war began in October. At a campaign event last weekend at a union building in Orange, protesters interrupted Schiff six times and asked him to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and to stop supporting U.S. military aid to Israel.
Schiff did not acknowledge the protest, but instead continued his speech as security guards removed the demonstrators.

Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.