Tensions ran high in San Carlos Sunday as more than 500 demonstrators gathered to call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
At one point, a brief scuffle broke out as someone tried to grab an Israeli flag out of another person’s hands. In the ensuing struggle, a woman is pepper-sprayed and hit with a stick.
Dozens of San Mateo County Sheriff’s Deputies were in helmets at the demonstration, and California Highway Patrol officers were also stationed alongside Highway 101.
The demonstrators chanted outside the Hiller Aviation Museum where a gala was scheduled for the group Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces.
"It's not time to raise money for the Israeli military that has already killed 9,000 Palestinians in Gaza," said Lisa Rofel with Jewish Voice for Peace.
NBC Bay Area reached out to a representative for the group organizing the event. She declined to comment and also would not confirm if people still attended the gala in light of the hundreds of protesters outside.
Some of the demonstrators said that their grandparents had survived the holocaust, and that they were fighting to make sure history wasn’t repeated. Many also demanded that the U.S. stop giving money to the Israeli military.
“The only way it’s going to stop is if our government stops giving them military weapons,” Rofel. “So we are demanding a cease-fire. An immediate cease-fire.”
Just this week, the House of Representatives passed a bill to provide $14 billion aid package to Israel.
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"I'm absolutely horrified," said San Jose resident Brianna Vieira. "Our government is funding genocide, and we are losing our humanity. We need a cease-fire now."
Tuesday will mark one month since Hamas militants attacked Israel. The demonstrators Sunday vowed to continue speaking up and fighting for peace.
