Chapotraphouse

The shouting began minutes into a Wednesday news conference that Mayor Daniel Lurie and other San Francisco leaders hosted to discuss a new tax proposal.

“Tax the rich! Tax the rich!” chanted a small group of protesters opposed to the mayor’s proposal, which would cut the city’s real estate transfer tax in half in a bid to jumpstart housing construction.

Then a woman — who protesters say was a passerby they did not know — began yelling antisemitic remarks, including “tax the Jews,” videos from the event show.

Lurie, who is Jewish, later issued a statement on social media condemning the “tax the Jews” comment and linking it to the group of [DSA] protesters opposing his policy proposal.

“At an event this afternoon, a group of individuals that were chanting ‘tax the rich’ began to shout ‘tax the Jews,’ Lurie wrote. “Suggesting that Jews are wealthy is a tired trope, and targeting our community at an event focused on creating economic opportunity for San Franciscans is decidedly antisemitic.”