ABC SF Bay Area affiliate KGO showcases Hamas-linked CAIR’s attack on Berkeley High School

UCLA police have made an arrest in connection with the violent April 30 confrontation between protestors on UCLA campus. “Man who was identified in attack on UCLA protest encampment arrested,” by Will Carless, USA Today, May 24, 2024:

Edan On, 18, was arrested Thursday and held in lieu of $30,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. CNN had identified On, age 18, as one of the attackers in a special report last week.

Edan On attends Berkeley High School, which is part of the Berkeley Unified School District (BHUSD). The ABC affiliate in the San Francisco Bay Area, KGO, picked up this story and gave the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) a platform to attack Beverly Hills High School.

In a statement, CAIR said:

BHUSD’s silence about Edan On’s violent and well-documented attacks is indicative of an overall disregard for the safety and wellbeing of BHUSD’s Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students—some of whom have reported to our office a school environment that is plagued by anti-Palestinian sentiment, discrimination, and fear.”

CAIR’s claims are based on their U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights complaint against the Berkeley Unified School District, alleging such things as this:

A Muslim fourth-grader was told she could not give a presentation about Palestinians to her class; students who started a Watermelon Club for Palestine faced complaints before holding their first meeting; parents have harassed students participating in walkouts and protests by filming them.

Although KGO made it clear that Edan On, a senior at Berkeley High, had no connection to UCLA, they were not as scrupulous about telling us that CAIR has nothing to do with Edan On’s arrest.

Like all the local area newscasters in the country, KGO favors CAIR over the public the station is supposed to serve.

Here are 7 times KGO promoted and endorsed CAIR in a broadcast.

1. There were two KGO broadcasts promoting CAIR’s report “FATAL: The Resurgence of Anti-Muslim Hate.” CAIR’s report claiming an unprecedented rise in “Islamophobia” since October 7 is really about people getting in trouble at school, work, or elsewhere for public support of Hamas. And of course KGO did not read the report. Why would they do that? They already know the narrative, which is that CAIR is good and the public are racists.

2. “CAIR SFBA Director Responds to Dropping of Cases Handled by Police Tied to Bigoted Posts” “We need that data to continue to advocate for reform, and really to hold those who abuse their power accountable” — Zahra Billoo. CAIR has nothing to do with this. Why is their input into this story relevant? Because TV stations like to portray themselves as being “on your side” against established authority figures, such as the police. Therefore CAIR, who are consistently anti-law enforcement, seem relevant to KGO. Remember, police are bigots that require oversight, and CAIR is good.
3. “WATCH: ‘Race & Coronavirus: A Bay Area Conversation’ virtual town hall about COVID-19 impact on Asian American community” First, what does CAIR have to do with this story? This is about Asians. Why does KGO feature CAIR without telling the audience about who they are? Zahra Billoo promotes their de-escalation training, which really isn’t their job. KGO likes to appear to be a defender of vulnerable communities, except for the people that watch the station who are taken for granted. “We have gathered together is, really, an impressive and insightful group for you,” says KGO’s Dan Ashley. Yes, this is an endorsement of CAIR. Consider there are no KGO broadcasts that are critical of CAIR in any way.
4. Santa Clara County supervisor suggests more cooperation with federal authorities prior to release of violent felons  – Astonishingly, CAIR is against aiding authorities in preventing violent illegal aliens from being released into the public. Involvement in the illegal immigrant issue is not CAIR’s job. Yes, this is another endorsement of CAIR, giving them a legitimacy they don’t deserve. CAIR should at least sometimes cooperate in counter-terror efforts, but they never do.
5. CAIR Statement on Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre CAIR exploited tragedy to promote themselves with the help of KGO, who told us that “CAIR is the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.” Yes, this also is an endorsement of CAIR by KGO.
6. Promoting CAIR’s Bullying Report Why didn’t KGO tell us CAIR used Survey Monkey to produce their report? If this subject is of such interest to the station, they might want to take a look at the texts that CAIR wants to introduce to the California public school system (see page 16). Or maybe KGO would like to take a look at CAIR’s other fraudulent reports.
7. Three broadcasts on CAIR’s dying child campaign Another example of CAIR exploiting tragedy. The little boy was already past caring by the time the media showed up. In interviews, the father said he was about to turn off life support before he contacted CAIR. This is a good example of CAIR’s access to the media, that they were able to saturate the news with this story morning, noon, and night for an average of 5.4 times a day over 7 days. CAIR is in every frame of this story, and there is never any discussion about who they are. Ironically, this story broke almost three years to the day of the deadliest terror attack on American soil since 911, the San Bernardino shooting. It cannot go unremarked that hiding behind children is very much in the style of Hamas.

CAIR’s attack on Berkeley High is the 41^st such abuse of the media this year.