A protest involving approximately 60 mothers unfolded Monday outside Diesel Bookstore at the Brentwood Country Mart, sparked by the display of a controversial book titled "Understanding Hamas and Why That Matters."
The unrest began when a local Jewish mother, who wished to remain anonymous, visited the store on Sunday. She was horrified when she saw the book prominently displayed and tried to hide it from her daughter.
After leaving the bookstore, she told another mother what was going on. After looking it up, she condemned it for allegedly normalizing the terrorist group Hamas.
"If there had been another book next to it discussing Israel's plight, at least that would have shown some neutrality."
The controversy quickly escalated, leading to a viral video of a heated confrontation between an unidentified woman and a 17-year-old employee over the book's presence in the store's inventory. This video catalyzed the larger protest on Monday.
Nikki, a local resident, emphasized, "I don't want the bookstore to shut down. That's not what this is about. It's about being mindful of the people who live in the community and those impacted by the events of October 7."
Several mothers expressed feelings of disconnect between their experiences as Jewish citizens and the perspectives of those advocating for Palestinian freedom. "I'm all about Palestinians being free, but I do not support a terrorist group. Hamas should not be normalized," one protester stated.
The situation intensified when the Los Angeles Police Department arrived at the scene, escorting staff members from the premises. The store was forced to close due to online and phoned-in threats.
In response to the backlash, Diesel Bookstore issued an apology on their Instagram page, stating that the controversial book had been removed from their inventory. However, protesters noted that this apology was reportedly removed shortly after being posted.
The bookstore's full statement emphasized that the book "does not represent our values" and that while they support free speech, they "do not support hate speech of any kind against any race or religion." The owners, who recently acquired the establishment, described themselves as "longtime Brentwood residents" with a passion for reading and no political agenda.
Unfortunately, this seems to have been an empty apology as the book is still listed for sale on their website.
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