Disgusting antisemitism
California Mayor Claims Bondi Beach Pogrom Was Israeli "False Flag"
While the Jewish world picks up the pieces in the wake of the massacre that killed fifteen and wounded many more on the first night of Chanuka, some have other ideas. Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez is using his personal social media to promote conspiracy theories that Israel is behind the murder.
Richmond, California Mayor Eduardo Martinez is facing mounting scrutiny after he used his LinkedIn account to amplify antisemitic conspiracy theories in the immediate aftermath of the deadly terrorist attack on a Chanuka celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
In the days following the December 14 attack, which killed 15 people, Martinez reposted and engaged with a series of posts that framed the massacre as a “false flag” operation and blamed Israel and Israelis for antisemitism. One reposted image shared by Martinez read, “The root cause of antisemitism is the behaviour of Israel & Israelis.” Another post he circulated compared the Chanuka celebration at Bondi Beach to a hypothetical Jewish display at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, describing both as “performative assertions of dominance.”
That post went further, arguing that Chanuka, “traditionally a time of personal and private reflection,” had been “appropriated by Jewish Zionist organizations and weaponized as a political tool.” Martinez added his own comment to the repost, writing, “What are your thoughts?”
The posts appeared as Australian authorities confirmed the attack was carried out by an ISIS-inspired father and son and warned of a surge in online incitement following the killings. Despite this, Martinez continued to engage with content suggesting Jewish public expression was itself provocative and that the massacre was being manipulated for political ends.
As criticism grew, Martinez deleted the posts and issued a series of apologies. In one, he acknowledged that antisemitism existed long before the establishment of Israel and said he had shared the material “without thinking.” In a follow-up statement, he attempted to separate his remarks from his role as mayor, saying the posts reflected his personal opinions rather than the position of the City of Richmond.
Martinez’s LinkedIn activity was not an isolated incident. In the past, he has compared Hamas to a bullied child in a schoolyard, described support for the group as a “complicated question,” and appeared at events featuring slogans calling for violence against the IDF. As mayor of a city with an active Jewish community, his public amplification of conspiracy theories in the wake of a mass-casualty antisemitic attack has now placed his conduct under sustained public and political scrutiny.