Anti-Israel protesters pitch encampment outside Jewish Democrat’s Ohio home
COLUMBUS, Ohio– Masked anti-Israel protesters escalated their harassment of a Jewish congressman on the eve of the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Monday, setting up camp outside Democratic Rep. of Ohio. Greg Landsman ‘s residence in Cincinnati.
Landsman said Monday that protesters arrived at his home early Sunday. By evening, they set up tents, cots and sleeping bags on the road and spent the night harassing him and his relatives, forcing them to arrange a police escort for safe entry and exit, the congressman said.
“On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attacks, when Jews were brutally murdered and kidnapped, these people came to the house of a Jewish family at night, dressed all in black and fully masked,” said Landsman in He said he and his daughter would be forced to navigate the encampment to attend an Oct. 7 service later Monday.
The group, Midwest Direct Action 4 Pali!shared a video of the demonstration on Instagram. The video showed masked participants in black marching down the street in front of Landsman’s home. Their faces were invisible as they carried white bundles that resembled shrouded bodies and waved banners representing the death toll numbers. The group remained on site Monday, Landman’s office said.
“On the eve of one year since the start of the genocide in Palestine, local activists in Cincinnati have gathered outside Congressman Greg Landsman’s home to denounce his vote to hide the death toll and continue to fund the massacre in Gaza ,” the group said. in his post. “We note in a solemn vigil that we will not rest until the genocide is over and Palestine is free.”
This is not the first time Landsman and his district have been targeted since the conflict began. Just a month after the start of the conflict, protesters placed a poster with him outside a building near Landsman’s district office photo and the phrase “This Ken supports genocide,” among other inflammatory language.
In July, Landsman toured the Covedale Cemetery Complex in Cincinnati, where 176 Jewish gravestones had been toppled.