Jewish Federation’s Community Security Director Scott Biondo said members of the St. Louis Jewish community may want to stay away from Art Hill in Forest Park on Saturday afternoon, when the Palestine Solidarity Committee convenes its Art Build event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The group, which is hosting the event with several student organizations from Washington University, St. Louis University, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Webster University and St. Louis Community College campuses, plans to make pro-Palestinian art, protest signs, graduation cap decorations and buttons “for an upcoming campaign,” according to the organization, which adds that this “is a very low-risk action.”
Biondo said he generally recommends that the Jewish community steer clear of areas where pro-Palestinian protests may take place.
“It boils down to our standard response to request people to stay away from these types of events. It is a security best practice to avoid locations where potential protests may occur,” Biondo said.
“This is not meant for anyone to fear or to think that something bad is going to happen. It’s just not a great mix when two opposing views show up in the same space.” Biondo said. “This group has the right to do what they are doing as long as they have the permission of the space owner. If they come to our locations, we will engage, but they are doing their own thing elsewhere and we’d appreciate the community not to counter protest and to stay away for safety reasons.”
Biondo noted that his security team and local law enforcement have been alerted to the event and will be monitoring it.
