Protesters Target Anti-Israel Film Screening in Hollywood

Dozens of Jewish and Israeli community members in the Los Angeles area protested late Friday night outside the Laemmle NoHo 7 cinema in North Hollywood during a screening of the anti-Israel documentary "NAZA." Demonstrators, draped in Israeli and American flags, held images from the October 7th Hamas attack and called for the release of hostages. Protesters sang "Am Yisrael Chai" (The People of Israel Live) and engaged with cinema attendees, presenting factual inaccuracies and the distorted narrative promoted by the film. Signs displayed messages such as "Learn the Facts, Know the Truth" and "Films Have Editors, History Does Not."

Aya Shechter, Chief Operating Officer of the Israeli Community Organization in the United States (IAC), which organized the protest, stated, "Our message is clear: wherever lies are told about Israel, we will be there with the truth. Everyone who came out yesterday is saying loud and clear, we stand with Israel. Especially around October 7th, we do not forget the murdered and the fallen, and we stand here also for those who can no longer stand here and shout the truth themselves." The protest follows similar demonstrations organized by the IAC against screenings of the film in the Hamptons and at the New York Film Festival.

The IAC, active in 100 communities and 58 campuses across the U.S., emphasized that their goal is not to prevent the film's screening but to ensure it is not the only version of the October 7th events presented to the public. Alongside the street protests, the organization is leading a petition drive urging cultural institutions, cinemas, and festivals to accompany screenings of "NAZA" with panels, survivor testimonies, and factual background materials.