Written by Sandra Warmoth
Builders of Zion International Relations Director
After a two-hour long, energetic day in the sun yesterday at a 800-strong pro-Israel/anti-HAMAS rally nearby the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach, Florida, which failed to bring out an anticipated pro-HAMAS presence, approximately 150 stalwart Jewish and Christian supporters of Israel then took on the 200-strong crowd of pro-“palestine”/pro-HAMAS supporters rallying across from the Israeli Consulate.
It became evident that the robust show of support for Israel and the zealous stance against HAMAS along the west side of the boulevard at the northbound section of Biscayne Boulevard was agitating the pLO supporters, who were rallying on the east side. During the five-hour lively face-off, several pLO ralliers, bullhorns in hand, led the group in the typical Arabic chant to liberate “palestine” with their blood. Children joined in on the adrenalized incantation. Several among the pro-pLO crowd had their faces fully covered with the traditional HAMAS headdress. There were several unfounded boasts of HAMAS’ great performance against the Israeli Defense Forces’ “Cast Lead” military operation in Gaza, and a staged media-capturing event featuring several small children lying along the curbside under the bogus flag of “palestine.” One group of Muslim youth was directing highly animated menacing gestures with read-my-lips style threats to “f--k up” the group of pro-Israel supporters. They also promised that HAMAS would do the same to the IDF.
Outnumbered and without the advantage of bullhorns, the collective voice of the pro-Israel camp still tingled the ears of the mainly Muslim crowd. “There is no ‘palestine,’ ” “I - D - F,” and “Terrorists across the street,” were some of the chants belted out by these ralliers.
It was noteworthy that while the police were diligent in keeping the pro-Israel ralliers at bay along the curb and away from the gutter and road, they were lacking the same degree of diligence when it concerned the pro-Muslim ralliers. A few pro-Israel ralliers, indeed, ventured off the curb and onto the roadside from time to time; yet only when the envelope was pushed well past the limits within the Muslim camp did the police get involved in forcing those ralliers to comply with the rules. Part and parcel to the sporadic police efforts to keep Muslims in line, several Muslims were also patrolling alongside the narrow street gutter, including an elder dressed in a turban and Taliban-style garb. Apparently, there was an understanding between the Miami Police Department and the leaders of the Muslim community that enabled Muslim authorities to rule over the pLO crowd without police interference unless there were blatant violations.
An increasing number of Muslims from the pro-pLO group were hurling full bottles of water at the pro-Israel group, apparently due to the lack of stones in the area. Some from the pro-Israel camp responded in kind due to the lackluster police response to the aggression.
Several Muslims charged across the street at the pro-Israel group. The first Muslim to charge was outraged that one of the pro-Israel ralliers was stomping on a bogus flag of “palestine.” Shortly afterward, another charged forward, going for a banner that was temporarily unmanned in anticipation of a rumble. The 3’ x 9’ Maccabean Resistance double-sided banner carried the messages: “No pLO terrorist state in the Jewish Biblical Heartland!” and “STOP the Islamic Conquest of the Promised Land!” The Muslim perpetrator, momentarily running off with the prized banner toward his widely cheering crowd of supporters, was pursued by this writer, who was promptly restrained by a police officer. Undeterred, this writer shouted to a group of officers and pointed to the thief who made off with the stolen banner. Three police stopped the man in the middle of the boulevard, crinkled banner in hand, before he could run back to his group. This energized the crowd of pro-Israel supporters. Other Muslims then attempted to charge at the pro-Israel ralliers, but the police, who had called in reinforcements, stopped them.
There was vigorous support from drivers for both sides of the boulevard: some honking in support of Israel, others in support of the pLO. Many of the Muslim motorists drove along the pro-Israel side of the boulevard specifically to make threatening gestures, such as pulling an imaginary trigger on a gun. One elderly man, accompanied by an orthodox Muslim woman, drove up to the pro-Israel group, rolled his window down, pulled out his HAMAS headdress and wrapped it around his face in front of the ralliers. Another motorist hoisted up a child with a bogus flag of “palestine” through the sunroof of his vehicle. The child’s face was fully wrapped in HAMAS headdress. The largely Muslim crowd was surprised when Builders of Zion Executive Director Ed Warmoth left his post at the rally and drove his vehicle to the Muslim side of the boulevard to sport his large Israeli flag, which was poking up through the sunroof. Six pLO ralliers, apparently outraged that a pro-Israel supporter would venture to their side of the road, converged upon his vehicle and banged on his windows. Also notable was the Chabad House bus, whose driver frequented the boulevard, honking the horn to the rhythm of the pro-Israel chants. His passengers were holding a large Israeli flag, which was hanging outside the buses’ windows. The Chabad’s prominent vehicular presence provided great motivational support for the tired but determined group.
As the highly charged daytime event grinded on, the pro-Israel supporters thinned out at around 3:30 p.m. to about 60 people. During the course of the event, the ranks of the pLO supporters had grown to approximately 300. By about 4:30 p.m., the pLO-supporters dwindled to about 120.
The remaining pro-Israel supporters dispersed only when the police had significantly cleared out the pro-pLO supporters as evening was setting in and an officer on the west side of the boulevard said it was time to go home. As the pro-pLO protestors -- one wiping the roadway with a ripped remnant of an Israeli flag -- were crossing the boulevard in a not-so-peaceful manner to exit the rally, five Muslims, frustrated by their inability to break through the police barrier protecting the pro-Israel ralliers, then took their anger out on the pro-Israel supporters’ vehicles. The group converged by foot upon one of the pro-Israel supporters, who was leaving the rally in his pickup truck to return to Ft Lauderdale. The Muslims destroyed his passenger-side mirror as the man narrowly escaped the danger. The group continued to the parking lot where most of the pro-Israel ralliers had parked their vehicles, and they kicked the doors to some of the pro-Israel supporters’ cars. After hearing reports of the incident from a couple of ralliers, Ed Warmoth ran toward the scene. Witnessing one of the attacks only 30 feet away, Warmoth immediately reported the incident to a group of 10 police officers just 100 feet away from the outbreak. The officers responded by instructing the group of Muslims to leave; yet there was no follow up to identify the perpetrators of the mischief, with the exception of a lone police officer, Officer Villafana, who worked with the Ft. Lauderdale man to file a formal police report regarding his broken mirror.
The rally ended at approximately 5:15 p.m., with the Miami Herald reporting the arrest of a dozen protestors. One of the protestors was from the pro-Israel camp.
For information about future rallies or events visit: www.buildersofzion.org
Photos by Ed Warmoth, Builders of Zion.
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