Jewish group calls for Richmond mayor to resign following controversial social media posts

"A Bay Area Jewish organization called Thursday for Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez to resign after he shared a series of controversial social media posts related to a recent mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. The Jewish Community Relations Council issued an open letter asserting the mayor has demonstrated an alarming and ongoing pattern of conduct that falls far short of the standards necessary to lead a city of more than 100,000 people."

"The letter was released after Martinez shared a collection of posts on his LinkedIn account that claimed the incident on Dec. 14 at Australia's Bondi Beach was a false flag. The massacre resulted in 15 deaths and dozens of injuries, according to the Associated Press. Posts shared by Martinez also claimed Israel was behind a series of anti-Jewish threats, argued public Hanukkah celebrations act as statements of power, and claimed the behavior of Israel and its citizens is the root cause of antisemitism."

"The mayor said he initially planned to keep the posts on his profile to avoid appearing as if he was trying to hide his actions, but ultimately decided to remove them out of concern people would think he agreed with them. I want to assure everyone that these postings are my opinions (or my mistakes) and mine only. They are not statements from my office or the city of Richmond. If I make a mistake, that mistake is mine only."

Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez shared LinkedIn posts alleging the Dec. 14 Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting in Australia was a false flag and suggesting Israel was behind anti-Jewish threats. The attack resulted in 15 deaths and dozens of injuries. The Jewish Community Relations Council demanded Martinez’s resignation, saying he demonstrated an alarming pattern of conduct unfit to lead a city of over 100,000. Posts also portrayed public Hanukkah celebrations as statements of power and blamed Israeli behavior for antisemitism. Martinez apologized, said Zionism and Judaism should not be conflated, removed the posts, and characterized the postings as his personal opinions or mistakes.

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