Flyers with images of hostages held in Gaza were strewn outside of U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider’s office in Washington, D.C. on July 4.
Courtesy of U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider

U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider met with constituents at a Buffalo Grove restaurant Sunday, when he discussed recent protests outside his Highland Park home and vandalism outside his Capitol Hill office.

Those who attended the meeting at the Original Bagel & Bialy showed their support with signs reading “We stand with Brad.”

“The support has been overwhelming,” said Schneider, a Democrat whose 10th District includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.

Schneider has been targeted over the last two weeks because of his staunch support of Israel. That included about 40 protesters marching outside his home in the middle of the night June 29 chanting pro-Palestinian and antisemitic messages, according to Highland Park officials.

Then last week, vandals tore down from outside his Washington, D.C. office flyers featuring the names and photos of more than 100 people held hostage in Gaza.

Schneider said Sunday he supports the right to protest, and his office is open to anyone who wants to make an appointment to meet with him.

“(But) their intent was not to petition me, but to terrorize my neighborhood. There needs to be consequences for that,” he said. “We’ve got to be better at making sure that people are going to be held to account for their actions.

“These are not pro-Palestinian, pro-peace protesters. They are anti-Israel,” he added.

Schneider said he will continue to support a strong relationship between the U.S. and Israel, with his work as chairman of the Abraham Accords Caucus as one example. He said he also will advocate for Israel’s right to defend itself while working to ensure that humanitarian aid gets to the people of Gaza.

“The war ends when Hamas releases the hostages and ends its reign of terror over Gaza and its threat to Israel,” he said.

Schneider also discussed the presidential race in the wake of a poor debate showing from President Joe Biden that has some of his congressional colleagues, including fellow Illinois Democrat Mike Quigley, calling for the incumbent to step aside.

“The debate was a debacle,” Schneider said. “There is no question about that.”

Schneider said he is talking with his colleagues and leadership about next steps.

“My commitment is to do everything we need to do to ensure that we win in November, that Trump is not reelected to the White House.”

U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider