Legal/Law/Criminal Justice and Reform

EXCLUSIVE: DOJ ‘Will Not Tolerate’ Violent Rhetoric From Anti-Israel Groups

(Photo via Tingey Injury Law Firm / Unsplash)

An anti-Israel group encouraging violence against police officers and Zionists should know that the Department of Justice (DOJ) “will not tolerate” such rhetoric, the agency told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Activist group Unity of Fields came out in support of the May 21 murder of two Israeli Embassy staff in Washington, D.C., was involved in antisemitic Columbia University protests and promotes violent sentiment against police, media reports and online posts show. The DOJ called such statements “vile,” and the FBI warned that any credible threats could result in federal action in a statement of its own.

“Recent weeks have proven that anti-Semitism is a growing poison that poses an unacceptable, deadly threat to our citizens,” the DOJ told the DCNF. “No American should ever be targeted for who they are or what they believe, and this Department of Justice will not tolerate vile rhetoric that incites violence against our brave law enforcement and innocent Americans.”

Unity of Fields did not respond to a request for comment. The group was formerly known as Palestine Action U.S., and the sources of its funding are unclear.

A May 26 statement from the group calls for the release of Elias Rodriguez, who was arrested for allegedly gunning down Israeli Embassy workers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim outside the Capital Jewish Museum. Rodriguez allegedly shouted “free, free Palestine” and said he “did it for Gaza” while in custody.

“Elias Rodriguez’s act was fully justified, at that place where legal and moral duties meet … Rodriguez exacted a consequence, a mere drop in the bucket of consequences due to the zionist movement and its military garrison of a state,” the statement says. “May it redound to teach a lesson and set an example.”

The FBI did not address specific questions about Unity of Fields, though the bureau noted that credible threats of violence will be taken seriously in a statement to the DCNF.

“The FBI takes all potential threats seriously and we work closely with our law enforcement partners to determine their credibility, share information, and take appropriate investigative action,” the FBI said in its statement. “As always, we encourage members of the public to remain vigilant and immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.”

The conservative Capital Research Center documented Unity of Fields’ social media posts in a March report, saying its leaders “engage in and promote aggressive protests and vandalism against organizations they see as supporters of Israel or Zionism.” One post called for repeats of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 massacre in Israel, including in “the so-called United States.”

Unity of Fields created pamphlets that anti-Israel protesters handed out while taking over a building at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College in March, an incident that resulted in nine arrests, the Columbia Spectator reported. The group also reportedly took credit for protests on Columbia’s first day of fall classes in September where two were arrested, issuing demands for divestment from Israel. Columbia’s history of violent, often pro-Hamas protests since October 2023 prompted the Trump administration to pull federal funding from Columbia in March.

In September, Unity of Fields published what it called a “communiqué” from “autonomous actionists” who praised Black Lives Matter protesters for burning a police precinct in 2020.

“It is not enough to merely ‘kill the cop in our heads’ or ‘decolonize our minds,'” Unity of Fields quoted them as saying. “We must attack the physical strongholds of the colonizer, the cop, and all those who unjustly wield their power, and we must strike from all angles.”