Dueling Israel and Palestine Rallies at San Jose City Hall Turn Tense Over a Sign and a Car

Competing rallies outside San Jose City Hall on Wednesday night, Oct. 7, ended with complaints about a graphic sign and a car that was driven onto the sidewalk near one of the groups, according to ABC7 and San Jose State's student news outlet, Spartan Media Group.

What happened

The events marked the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. Spartan Media Group reported that the pro-Palestinian protest was organized by San José Against War and began around 6:30 p.m., with more than 30 people on the pro-Israel side and about 13 on the pro-Palestinian side. The pro-Israel group, which included Iranian-American demonstrators, waved Israeli, Iranian and U.S. flags.

San Jose police set up two rows of caution tape to keep the groups apart. Police told ABC7 that both sides were confrontational, and the student outlet reported that some people on the pro-Israel side crossed the tape.

One sign on the pro-Israel side included a profanity aimed at Islam, which both outlets reported drew wide attention. Later in the evening, a vehicle drove through an area where the pro-Palestinian group had gathered. Police told ABC7 the driver was picking up audio equipment and did not act maliciously, and said a window of the car was damaged. Police are still investigating.

Reaction

Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' San Francisco Bay Area office, told ABC7 that the sign, phrases allegedly shouted during the event and the vehicle incident all went beyond protected speech.

Mayor Matt Mahan called the car entering the crowd concerning but did not condemn the signs. He urged residents to exercise their First Amendment rights respectfully and to try to "turn down the temperature."

A person identified by ABC7 as McCann said he plans to press charges against the driver. San Jose police said any charges would be up to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.

What's next

The pro-Palestinian group left City Hall around 7 p.m. and marched to San Pedro Square, the student outlet reported. No arrests were reported in either account.