Shri Thanedar’s community centre in Detroit defaced

Indian American US Congressman Shri Thanedar’s community centre in Detroit was defaced apparently by pro-Palestine protesters. An “X” was painted across his photograph and the words “racist”, “ceasefire” and “Free Palestine” were also spray-painted on the walls of his community centre.

Sharing photos of the vandalism on X, Thanedar emphasized the need for open dialogue and denounced such acts of vandalism as counterproductive to constructive discourse.

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“As a member of Congress, I am always open to dialogue and debate. Unfortunately, this vandalism of the community center is not an isolated incident, nor is it a productive form of communication,” he stated in a press release. “These acts create nothing but fear and division during a time that depends on open conversation and discourse.”

“In the past, I have dealt with other unproductive forms of protest. One that turned violent at a holiday party last December and another consisting of individuals demonstrating at my home at 3 in the morning,” he recalled.

“These incidents ended with people in the hospital and my loved ones feeling unsafe in their own bedrooms,” Thanedar stated. “In this case, a place designed to bring our community together was vandalized in a way that seeks to drive it apart.”

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The lawmaker said he has “had meetings about this with everyone that requested a meeting on my website. I have hosted town halls, held Zoom meetings, and spoken face-to-face with my constituents about this issue to make their voices heard in an appropriate and effective capacity.”

“I am always open to productive and respectful dialogue, but this kind of vandalism is simply unacceptable,” Thanedar added.

The vandalism of Thanedar’s centre comes at a time when pro-Palestine protests are spreading across US universities. Students have set up encampments on the campuses and have faced a crackdown by law enforcement authorities too.

A few months ago, protestors had also gathered in front of his house after Thanedar decided to leave the Democratic Socialists of America for not condemning Hamas violence.

After the Oct 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel which killed 1,139 people, Thanedar wrote on his website, “In this time of great international uncertainty, it is now more important than ever before to reaffirm as a people, and as a nation, our unequivocal support for the state of Israel, the lone Democracy in the Middle East and one of our closest, and strongest, allies across the globe.”

This did not sit well with pro-Palestine protestors. They gathered in front of his house and blamed him for his “silence” on the atrocities faced by Palestinians. Protestors stood in line with their cars in front of his house and kept honking and screaming.