GOP lawmaker says pro-Israel sign at DC office defaced with bloody handprints
A Michigan GOP lawmaker's sign in support of Israel hanging outside his office in Washington, D.C., was vandalized with bloody handprints, his office said Thursday.
Rep. Tim Walberg's office revealed his "I stand with Israel" sign was defaced, with the congressman declaring, "anti-semitism has run rampant across the country."
"This is yet another despicable act which should not be tolerated," Walberg, a former pastor, said in a press release.
"At a time like this, we must think of our Jewish community members, including those on my staff, who are enduring this targeted behavior and harassment following the largest attack on Jews since the Holocaust," he continued.
Walberg's office told Fox News Digital the sign had been put up earlier this week, and that the congressman had tweeted about standing with Israel after the country was attacked by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, sparking a war.
The Michigan Republican's office said the congressman employs Jewish staff members and believes the vandalism is unacceptable.
Walberg's office also said they have contacted U.S. Capitol Police about the incident. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Earlier this month, Walberg, who has been vocal in his support for Israel, led a letter with 43 other lawmakers to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona demanding he take action to protect Jewish students on American college campuses.
"Many student groups have issued statements condoning and even celebrating the terror attack, which should be considered a modern-day pogrom. Some student groups have even utilized imagery of a paraglider to advertise their rallies, unequivocally celebrating the despicable tactics used by Hamas — a terrorist organization that President Biden stated is a ‘group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews,’" the letter reads.
Walberg called out universities for portraying themselves as "inclusive and tolerant" and speaking out regarding social issues while remaining silent on the current crisis.
"In recent years, schools have been quick to weigh in on a plethora of social issues, but suddenly, many have gone silent as anti-Semitism rages across college campuses. This deafening silence and lack of moral clarity by college administrators comes as student groups openly celebrate a terrorist attack motivated by bigotry," Walberg said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "These schools pride themselves on being inclusive and tolerant, but it is clear there is an anti-Semitism crisis on these campuses, so we’re calling on the Biden administration to take action to protect Jewish students and to visit these schools to examine why they are such a hot-bed for anti-Semitism."
Pro-Hamas sentiment could be seen at universities across the country since the attack on Israel this month. An organization called "Cornell Students for Justice in Palestine" introduced an anti-Israel resolution to the student government body this week justifying the Hamas terror attack and Palestinians’ right to "resistance by any means necessary."
The vandalism of Walberg's pro-Israel sign also comes as some Democratic members of Congress promote Hamas propaganda and participate in pro-Palestinian protests at the U.S. Capitol complex.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., tripled down on the Hamas narrative that Israel was behind last week's explosion at a Gaza hospital, something that had already been debunked by both Israeli and U.S. intelligence.
Tlaib is now facing a censure resolution in the House introduced on Thursday by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom, Danielle Wallace, and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed reporting.