It was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration in El Cerrito Saturday to call for a cease-fire in Gaza, but according to police, at least one demonstrator got violent and his actions are being investigated as a hate crime.
Around a hundred protesters took to the normally busy intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Carlson Boulevard that day, demonstrating there for about an hour.
A group of counter-protesters were also present. Among them was a woman who asked NBC Bay Area to identify her by Hannah in place of her real name.
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“They kept crossing the street and agitating and agitating,” Hannah said.
The group Hannah was with waved Israeli flags and — in her case — carried signs with strong messages.
“Free Palestine equals murder Jews, equals domestic terrorism,” she said. “Those were my statements. I stand behind them.”
Hannah said demonstrators circled her and one man, whose face was covered, tore the sign from her hand.
Witnesses said several people from the main group did get aggressive with the smaller group of pro-Israeli demonstrators, stealing signs and stepping on flags.
Video of the protest, filmed by a friend of Hannah, catches a brief glimpse of a man wearing a face covering and holding a camera. El Cerrito Police have shared a handful of photos of that man, hoping that someone will recognize him for what came next.
As the video shows the crowd, the woman suddenly screams, the camera shakes, and then she appears to fall to the ground — described as being “pushed to the ground.” The Israeli flag is torn from her hands.
Witnesses identified the man in the video as the same man in photos shared by police.
Another video then shows the man torching the flag.
The flag’s owner told NBC Bay Area that it was a gift from a friend more than 40 years ago. She said she saw the whole thing.
“He knocked down a young woman and threw her into the street,” she said.
The woman added that she took the victim to the police department, where she filed a complaint.
Both women said they repeatedly called 911 for help, but kept getting the same response.
“All circuits are busy. All circuits are busy,” Hannah said.
They said they were relieved that the police are investigating and looking for the men who they describe as especially aggressive.
