Overview
- Audio and video from the Feb. 25 press conference captured a woman shouting “tax Israel” and “tax the Jews” during remarks on proposed real-estate transfer tax changes.
- On-site footage and accounts from protesters indicate the chanting came from a single unaffiliated passerby, not a coordinated group, with DSA members saying they tried to stop her.
- The San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council walked back an earlier statement blaming DSA-affiliated demonstrators, clarifying the remarks came from an individual outsider.
- Mayor Daniel Lurie condemned the outburst as antisemitic and has not publicly amended his original description that a group shifted from “tax the rich” to “tax the Jews.”
- Jewish organizations and elected officials, including the local JCRC and national leaders, denounced the rhetoric as antisemitic as the episode overshadowed the administration’s tax proposal.