EVERETT, Wash., December 13, 2023—A red-soaked effigy of an upper torso representing a fake body next to the words written in chalk, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free; cease fire now,” was discovered at the entrance of the Everett Municipal Building and reported to Everett Police on Saturday evening, the third night of Hanukkah.
The slogan is commonly used by pro-Hamas supporters advocating for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people. Mayor Cassie Franklin shared with the Lynnwood Times a statement denouncing the incident as a hateful attack on the Jewish community and calls for peace in both Israel and Gaza.
“The City of Everett stands in support of peace amidst the conflict in Israel and Palestine,” wrote Mayor Franklin to the Lynnwood Times. “We denounce all forms of hate, including anti-Semitic and anti-Arab sentiments, while acknowledging diverse perspectives within our community. As Hanukkah is celebrated by Jewish communities worldwide and locally, we stand with them extending our solidarity and our thoughts. Our aim is to cultivate enduring peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. Locally, we working to foster new relationships and strengthen our existing relationships with the Jewish community to ensure all feel welcome in our city.”
Besides the Everett mayor, the building is the satellite office for Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, and Representative Rick Larsen.
“Antisemitism has no place in Everett, the Pacific Northwest, and the world,” Rep. Rick Larsen released in a statement on the incident. “Israel has a fundamental right to exist and an obligation to defend its citizens. Since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, members of the local Jewish community have experienced increased fear. I call on everyone to join me in standing with the local Jewish community and against antisemitism, especially during this difficult time.”
Everett Police have yet to determine if this act of antisemitism is also a credible threat directed to a specific elected official; however, a paper with Larsen’s name was taped to the door of the building near the incident. There are currently no suspects, but multiple people were involved.
The United States was the only member of the United Nations Security Council to veto a resolution earlier on that Friday drafted by the United Arab Emirates that called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
Friday’s vote followed UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ rare invocation of Article 99 on December 6 of the UN charter, to convene an emergency Security Council “to avert a humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward, abstained from the vote saying that she cannot vote for a resolution that “does not condemn the atrocities Hamas committed against innocent Israeli civilians on 7th of October.”
Representatives of France, Oman and China criticized the US for its veto vote.
“The use of the veto at Security Council is a shameful insult to humanitarian norms,” Sayyid Albusaidi, Oman’s Foreign Minister said, according to Aljazeera.
The U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood defended his vote against the resolution stating that it “was divorced from reality that would not move the needle forward on the ground in any concrete way.”
Approximately 1,200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to a park near a fundraiser for President Joe Biden on Friday after the veto. They carried an effigy of Biden with devil horns and chanted pro-Hamas slogans. California Governor Gavin Newsom along with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Hollywood Director Steven Spielberg attended the fundraiser.
“I am also acutely aware of the increased fear the Palestinian people have experienced in the wake of the Hamas attack,” Larsen continued in his statement. “It is incumbent on all of us to call out and stand against Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination where it exists.”
On Sunday, December 10, approximately 100 people gathered at Lynnwood City Hall to celebrate Hannukah. In his Hannukah message, Rabbi Berel Paltiel of Chabad Jewish Center of Snohomish County told attendees to not get consumed in the darkness of anger and anxiety but to find one’s inner oil of resilience to “burst into a flame” of light.
“Hamas and those genocidal chapters on college campuses, can’t destroy the Jewish spirit; to the contrary. It shocks us into being awake and the oil will now burst into a flame,” said Rabbi Paltiel.
On December 8, a proclamation was released and signed by County Executive Dave Somers recognizing Hanukkah in Snohomish County.
