Anti-Israel protestors vandalize dozens of Seattle-area businesses

EDMONDS, Wash. (TND) — Vandals hit a Washington State city Saturday night to demand a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

A group of five tagged nearly 50 businesses in Edmonds, considered a suburb of Seattle, with graffiti and posters. The graffiti included calls to "stop the genocide" and "free Palestine," as well as messages of "shame on you."

The Edmonds Police Department is working with the impacted businesses to identify the protestors. The department noted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that "no threats" were made against "anyone or any groups."

Earlier this month, protestors also vandalized the home of Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., with calls for a ceasefire.

"This attack is sadly reflective of the coarsening of the political discourse in our country, and is completely unwarranted, unnecessary, and harmful to our political system," Rep. Smith stated.

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The congressman claimed the criminal act made him "more determined" to remain in politics to ensure "we resolve our differences in a peaceful way." Rep. Smith said he has "continually met" with groups across the political spectrum, including "pro-Palestine" and "left-wing" activists.

“The extremism on both the left and right side of our political spectrum is a threat to a healthy, functioning democracy and has been condoned for far too long," the representative said. "The simple truth is that extremism on both sides is degrading to our political system and must be rooted out for our democracy to be able to persist."

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A California lawmaker expressed similar sentiments after his office was vandalized by pro-Palestine protestors last month. Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., shared photos on X of the fake blood and photos of "murdered" missing people smeared across his office's entrance.

“I strongly support the right to peaceful protest, but violence and vandalism are never acceptable," Rep. Valadao wrote alongside the photos. "In a democracy, harassment and intimidation is not how you make your voice heard.”