DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇱 Israel /Elections & Politics

California mayor who claimed that Bondi massacre was ‘false flag’ set to lose reelection bid

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez is poised to lose his reelection bid following controversy over his sharing of conspiracy theories about the Bondi Beach Massacre and Hamas.
  • Preliminary results show Martinez received 19.50% of the vote, trailing behind City Councilwoman Claudia Jimenez and culture director Ahmad Anderson, who are likely headed for a November runoff.
  • The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of San Francisco celebrated the uncertified loss, stating that voters rejected antisemitism in public office.

Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez appears set to lose his reelection bid after facing significant backlash for promoting conspiracy theories, including claims that the Bondi Beach Massacre was a "false flag" attack and that Hamas acted defensively. Preliminary results from the June 2 primary election show Martinez garnered only 19.50% of the vote.

antisemitism has no place in public office

— Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of San FranciscoThe JCRC of San Francisco celebrated Martinez's uncertified loss, asserting that voters had sent the message that antisemitism has no place in public office.

City Councilwoman Claudia Jimenez secured 37.55%, while Golden Gate Park Gardens culture director Ahmad Anderson received 28.82%. The two leading candidates are expected to advance to a runoff election in November. The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of San Francisco viewed Martinez's uncertified loss as a victory, asserting that voters sent a clear message that "antisemitism has no place in public office."

This result is a victory for everyone who stood with the Jewish community in confronting antisemitism and demanding accountability

— Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of San FranciscoThe JCRC of San Francisco celebrated Martinez's uncertified loss, asserting that voters had sent the message that antisemitism has no place in public office.

Martinez had previously shared posts on LinkedIn suggesting the December Bondi Beach terrorist attack was a false flag and that one of the shooters was a former IDF soldier. He also claimed the "root cause of antisemitism is the behavior of Israel and Israelis" and that Hanukkah was "weaponized as a political tool." He later apologized, stating that antisemitism predates Israel and that Zionism should not be conflated with Judaism.

We are grateful to the thousands of community members, allies, and elected leaders who spoke out and refused to stay silent.

— Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of San FranciscoThe JCRC of San Francisco celebrated Martinez's uncertified loss, asserting that voters had sent the message that antisemitism has no place in public office.

This controversy follows an earlier incident in January when Martinez avoided censure by the City Council, which instead mandated an atonement plan involving meetings with Jewish leaders and antisemitism education. In September, Martinez also drew criticism for participating in the People's Conference in Palestine, where he declared, “If Palestine were a schoolyard playground, I would be a Palestinian. And that part of me, that part of me that couldn’t endure the abuse anymore, would be Hamas.”

Israel's false flag attack

— Eduardo MartinezMartinez had faced scrutiny for sharing several posts on LinkedIn asserting that the December Bondi Beach terrorist attack was a false flag attack, including one post that wished peace to 'all the victims of Israel's false flag attack.'
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog