A news conference highlighting San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s tax reform proposal devolved into vile antisemitic chants that went on for more than a minute unchecked, according to disgusted officials who were present at the Wednesday event.
A protest tied to the Democratic Socialists of America’s San Francisco chapter began shouting “Tax the rich” outside a news conference held outside a construction site promoting Lurie and Supervisor Bilal Mahmood’s joint legislation to reform the city’s real estate taxes to spur housing construction and investment.
But the anti-capitalist cacophony escalated into chants about Israel with at least one individual loudly chanting “Tax the Jews,” according to sources present.
“Suggesting that Jews are wealthy is a tired trope, and targeting our community at an event focused on creating economic opportunity for San Franciscans is decidedly antisemitic,” Lurie, who is Jewish, posted on X.
“I will never accept hate directed at the Jewish community or any community in our city. Those are not San Francisco values—we’re better than that.”
A horrified onlooker told The Post that the antisemitic shouts about Jews and Israel continued for roughly two minutes before “petering out.” But no one in the group stopped the offensive rants, they said.
“It was an, ‘are you hearing what I’m hearing?’ moment,” the source said.
Rudy Gonzalez, head of the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council, called out the Democratic Socialists of America in an Instagram post condemning the incident.
“During today’s press conference, individuals identifying themselves with the Democratic Socialists of America disrupted the event with antisemitic chants,” he wrote.
“As a father and a husband in an interfaith home, I found what was shouted today deeply disturbing. Hate directed at any community is wrong. It undermines the solidarity that working people depend on.”
The DSA’s San Francisco chapter denied that a woman chanting “tax the Jews” was part of their group and said members asked her to stop.
“DSA SF members at the protest were similarly disgusted and horrified by this woman’s rhetoric, and want to make clear her words came from her alone. While we disagree on policy, we join you in condemning antisemitism.”
The incident marred an announcement by a coalition of City Hall and labor officials pushing to lower transfer tax rates on housing projects and downtown sales to help boost San Francisco’s economic recovery.
Advocates including Lurie, Mahmood, the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council and the Chamber of Commerce say the plan to tweak tax rates will add jobs and reduce the cost of construction by $32,850 a unit.
