DENVER — Hundreds of protesters have cleared from outside the convention center in downtown Denver Thursday night, where the Jewish National Fund was holding a conference on Israel.
The JNF said its conference pays tribute to the victims of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and addresses a rise in antisemitism. More than 2,500 people gathered at the convention center, including visitors from Israel.
Protest organizers said the non-profit group supports ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Democratic Governor Jared Polis spoke inside the conference, along with Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations.
The governor said he's encouraged by the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and wants the remaining hostages to be freed. Polis was wearing a necklace that said, "Bring them home now."
He said the attempts to shut down the conference or intimidate people will not succeed and he spoke about antisemitism worldwide.
Avnet Kleiner, who was born and raised in Israel, attended the conference and said his own family and friends are feeling the impact after the Oct. 7 attack.
Kleiner said his brother, who lives just seven kilometers from Gaza, has been evacuated and he was told he cannot go home until March at the earliest.
He also said his best friend, an Army reservist was one of the first troops to witness the carnage left behind at a kibbutz hit by Hamas.
Kleiner said he spent the last 20 hours on a plane to be able to be at the conference over the next few days and share with those here about what's happening in Israel – a task he questioned more than once.
"In the last two weeks, I debated with myself and my friends that are here, the Israelis, and we thought if we should come. Our friends are in reserve, our family, my kids are alone in Israel and I thought, should I come or not?" said Kleiner. "But I realized it's so important for our American brothers and sisters, Jews and non-Jews to see Israelis, to hear the real story, it's really important."
Protesters banged on the windows of the convention center as people attending the conference walked past and chanted "Free Palestine" and "Shut it down." At one point, Denver Police warned they'd use pepper balls unless the protestors stopped — that's when the crowd backed off.
There was a large security presence at the convention center and the crowd appeared to have left for the night just before 10 p.m.