WASHINGTON — Vandals on July 4 tore photos of hostages in Gaza off the wall outside of the Capitol Hill office of Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Illlinois, his office said on Friday.
A photo Schneider posted on the social media website X showed how the ripped-off pictures littered the hallway of the Cannon House Office Building. The hostages were kidnapped Oct. 7 in Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.
The vandalism comes in the wake of protesters loudly demonstrating outside of Schneider’s Highland Park home in the middle of the night last weekend.
Schneider is one of the most pro-Israel members of Congress.
Schneider said in a statement, “My Capitol office was vandalized yesterday in a vile act of hate in which the posters of the more than 100 people still held hostage in Gaza (including 8 Americans) were ripped from the wall, shredded and tossed across the hallway. This was a shameful act on any day, but especially on July 4, our country’s Independence Day. Sadly, it was but one of many hateful, un-American actions that took place across the country on the day we celebrate freedom and democracy.
“I’ve been disgusted by the videos and reports of individuals calling July 4th a ‘terrorist holiday’ and burning American flags. It’s not just happening at my office in Washington, D.C.,” Schneider said.
“More than 700 miles from the Capitol, my home was targeted last weekend at 2:30AM by approximately 50 masked demonstrators banging drums, blowing horns and screaming antisemitic chants. The same groups that were at my house earlier in the week marched through Chicago on July 4th, not calling for peace, but rather condemning the United States of America,” he said.
“These actions don’t advance peace. Instead, they play directly into the hands of Hamas terrorists enabling them to continue to hold hostage not only those they kidnapped from Israel, but all civilians in Gaza as well.”