Bellevue – With Israel declaring war on Hamas, after the Islamist terrorist group killed more than 700 Israelis in a surprise attack on Saturday, protests are continuing worldwide, even locally. In Kirkland, Washington, violent clashes broke out Sunday afternoon between pro-Hamas and pro-Israel demonstrators.
 
In the wake of that violence, WAGOP Chairman Jim Walsh released this statement: “Republicans and common-sense people all around the state condemn the violence perpetrated against the State of Israel and echoed in the recent street brawls here in western Washington. What happened in the Middle East—and then here in Kirkland—is violent extremism. As Chairman of the Washington State Republican Party, I call on all elected officials in this state to join me in condemning this violent extremism, at home and abroad.”
 
To date, Washington’s left-wing politicians and activists—including current Governor Jay Inslee and State Attorney General Bob Ferguson—have been conspicuously silent about the domestic violent extremism taking place in Kirkland.
 
AG Ferguson’s silence is especially striking, because his office recently promoted and supported House Bill 1333 which aimed to prevent “domestic violent extremism.” Specifically, HB 1333 declared: “It is the intent of this [bill] to build upon the findings of the domestic terrorism study assembled by the Washington State Attorney General in 2022.” In turn, that “domestic terrorism” study said: “Domestic violent extremism encompasses various forms of extremist and political violence like threats, coercion, and intimidations….”
 
But now, confronted with actual domestic violent extremism on the streets of Kirkland, the state’s left-wing politicians can’t find their voices.
 
If the current State Attorney General is serious about preventing actual domestic violent extremism (instead of just trying to criminalize free speech his political allies don’t like), he should join Chairman Walsh in condemning what happened in Kirkland.
 
Here’s a link to the details on HB 1333.

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