Palestinian supporters ratcheted up the vitriol aimed at Fresno City Council members on Thursday, continuing a streak of screeds dating back to the attacks by Hamas on Israel last October.
Some members of the community once again levied personal attacks on Councilman Garry Bredefeld, including one person who called Bredefeld a “pig and a spineless human.”
What they’re saying: During public comment, Bredefeld keyed in to respond to the criticism levied against him, saying that he is not going anywhere no matter how much people attack him personally.
- Bredefeld added that he has sympathy and feels for the loss of life in Gaza.
- His comments were interrupted by yelling obscenities at him and at the council.
- “Hamas is a terrorist group,” Bredefeld said. “The cease-fire can happen tomorrow once Hamas surrenders. None of these folks coming here express any sympathy towards Israel or the innocent people that were murdered, raped, brutalized and killed.”
- Bredefeld added, “These folks come here every week spewing their antisemitism, their attacks on this council, their attacks on Council member [Mike] Karbassi, their attacks on me.”
- After Bredefeld spoke, Karbassi punched up as well, saying that many residents have reached out to him recently because they are now living in fear from the Palestinian supporters.
- “There is one statement, one slogan that is repeatedly said, and that’s ‘the river to the sea’ slogan,” Karbassi said. “I don’t know if a lot of folks know of the origins of this statement, but the people in my district who are residents like everyone else feel very unsafe because of the hateful nature of this statement.”
- Karbassi added, “It doesn’t feel right for me to be silent when this statement is uttered in this chamber that calls for the destruction of a people because they’re Jewish. I’m not Jewish, but it feels wrong.”
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