Protesters hold placards and flags during a demonstration against Ilhan Omar, US Representative for

Photo: EPA

Pro-Israeli protesters rally outside event where Ilhan Omar speaks

A smaller counter-protest was also staged in support of the Muslim congresswoman who in the past said American supporters of Israel are pushing people to have 'allegiance to a foreign country'

Reuters | Published: 03.24.19, 08:37

Hundreds of protesters rallied outside an event where a congresswoman spoke to a Muslim-American civil rights group.

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The demonstrators were protesting the presence Saturday of US Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota at the fundraising event for the Council of American-Islamic Relations of Greater Los Angeles.

Protesters hold placards and flags during a demonstration against Ilhan Omar, US Representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district, in Woodland Hills, Los Angelesm California (Photo: EPA)

Omar has drawn criticism for her recent remarks on Israel, including comments that American supporters of Israel are pushing people to have “allegiance to a foreign country.” Omar later apologized, saying “anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes.”

The Los Angeles Daily News reports that the protesters lined a sidewalk area outside the Hilton hotel in Woodland Hills, waving Israeli flags. A smaller group of counter-protesters held up signs in support of Omar.

Protesters hold signs during a demonstration against Ilhan Omar, US Representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district, in Woodland Hills, Los Angelesm California (Photo: EPA)

In response to remarks Omar made about Israel—on al least three different occasions—leading House Democrats offered a resolution condeming anti-Semitism.

A draft of the resolution does not rebuke Omar, a Somali-American and one of two Muslim women in Congress. But it sets out the history of anti-Semitism and bigotry in America, including anti-Jewish tropes about divided loyalties. The document also rejects bigotry directed against Muslims after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

It says the House “rejects anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States.”