WATCH: Peace Activists SHUTDOWN Senator Alex Padilla Event in San Francisco

They demand a ceasefire and arms embargo on Israel

A talk with Senator Alex Padilla was brought to an abrupt halt on Tuesday at Manny’s, a popular civic gathering space in the Mission District, as peace activists disrupted the event, calling on Padilla to support an immediate ceasefire and commit to an arms embargo on Israel. The protest marked a significant moment: for the first time, Senator Padilla stated he would back a ceasefire to end the genocide in Gaza.

The interruption, led by activists including one Latina-Palestinian participant who voiced her concerns in Spanish, went on for 17 minutes before the event was ultimately canceled. Organizers stated that Padilla, who has faced mounting pressure from constituents to address the U.S. supported genocide in Gaza and escalating violence in the region, finally offered some acknowledgment of the situation. However, protestors felt this response was insufficient, especially as they cited Padilla's campaign funding ties to pro-Israel groups, which they argue stand in opposition to his pro-immigrant stance. Padilla has received over $30,000 from the anti-Palestinian lobby since being elected to office. 

“Padilla has consistently failed to listen to his constituents about this over a year long genocide, all while voting for billions of dollars in arms sales to Israel multiple times. This is the FIRST time Padilla says he supports a ceasefire. He failed to commit to supporting an arms embargo, so I reminded him that it's money that talks - not fake condolences,” explained Natalie, one of the organizers. 

“As a Latina and an Arab, I felt the need to call out his hypocrisy in heralding himself as a Latino working for immigrants' rights all while he is directly complicit in bombing refugee camps. I yelled at him in Spanish to let him know that Latinos are also with Palestine, and we see right through him. My partner in disruption is a Bay Area teacher, and she called out the cognitive dissonance of tax payer dollars funding genocide abroad while our schools barely have enough supplies. The vast majority of California democrats support an arms embargo, and he needs to start listening to us,” she continued. 

Manny’s, the venue hosting the event, later emailed attendees offering a refund in light of the disruption.

For more information on which elected officials are bought off by the anti-Palestinian lobby, please visit Bought By Zionism.