Pro-Palestinian activists on Thursday lit smoke bombs and splattered red paint outside the Los Angeles-area home of the head of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a leading pro-Israel group seeking to defeat the far-left House Democrats known as the Squad.
A dozen chanting protesters waved smoke bombs, beat drums and carried a banner saying “F—- ur holiday! Baby killer!” in the quiet Brentwood neighborhood outside a house identified as the vacation home of AIPAC President Michael Tuchin.
Photos posted by Stop Antisemitism showed red paint dribbled across the sidewalk in front of the home and bottom of the driveway.
The People’s City Council of Los Angeles took responsibility for the Thanksgiving protest on X, saying, “AIPAC spends tens of millions to control pro-genocide congress members.”
Stop Antisemitism called the smoky, noisy demonstration “horrifying,” adding on X, “What’s next? The burning of synagogues and schools like in 1939 Germany?”
AIPAC reportedly plans to sink $100 million toward challenging the pro-Palestinian Squad, including Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Cornell Law School professor William Jacobson wrote on Legal Insurrection that AIPAC “does so not by organizing threats at Squad members’ homes, but by supporting political challengers.”
Democrat Hill Harper on Wednesday wrote on X that he was offered $20 million in campaign funding by a prominent AIPAC donor to drop out of the Michigan Senate race and run in the House primary against Ms. Tlaib. Mr. Hill said he refused.
AIPAC said it spent $17 million in 2022 in support of 365 Republican and Democrat candidates who stand with Israel, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The protest outside Mr. Tuchin’s home drew comparisons to the left-wing demonstrations targeting the neighborhoods of Supreme Court justices following the May 2022 leak of the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.
A California man was arrested in June 2022 outside the Maryland home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh amid the protests and charged with planning to assassinate him.
“Protesting at someone’s home is crossing a boundary. It’s an act of intimidation. It’s an implied (and sometimes express) threat,” said Mr. Jacobson.
Stop Antisemitism also has drawn attention to activists in New York City tearing down “kidnapped” posters of Israelis and Americans abducted by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, a raid that left at least 1,200 dead and prompted Israel to declare war.
The Washington Times reached out to AIPAC for comment.
— Mallory Wilson contributed to this report.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.