Anti-Israel protesters "violently" entered an Israeli consulate building in San Francisco, Consul General Marco Sermoneta confirmed in a statement to Just the News.
"We are appalled, but not surprised, at the attempt by a handful of pro-Hamas rioters to violently compromise our ability to operate as a diplomatic mission. They will not succeed," Sermoneta, who oversees Israel's Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest, said.
As of 10:50 a.m. local time, the building's lobby is still occupied by demonstrators and no arrests related to the protest have been made, according to both the consulate and the San Francisco Police Department.
None of the consulate staff have been physically harmed by the demonstrators, a spokesperson for the consulate said.
The Palestinian Youth Movement Bay Area, a local chapter of an international activist group, issued a statement on behalf of the protesters. The group said that more than 100 "SF Bay Area people of conscience" took over the consulate to show "solidarity" with Gaza, where Israel is fighting against Hamas.
The San Francisco Police Department responded to a call for a protest in the consulate building earlier around 9 a.m., a spokesperson for the department told Just the News.
"Officers arrived on scene and are currently handling a protest and possible trespassers who are related to the protest," the department spokesperson said shortly before 11 a.m. local time.
Sermoneta thanked police for their "rapid response" and pledged to continue providing services despite the demonstration.
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