A group of pro-Palestinian protesters, participating in car caravan to show support for people in Gaza being subjected to military attacks by the Israeli military, got out of their cars and attacked Jewish diners at a Los Angeles restaurant, the Associated Press reports.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that the attack will be investigated as a hate crime.  “Jewish Angelenos, like all residents, should always feel safe in our city,” he tweeted. “L.A. is a city of belonging, not of hate.”

Video of the event shows one of the cars in the parade stopping at a restaurant where diners were seated at sidewalk tables.  “Who’s Jewish?” one of the men exiting the car asks.

When some of the people at the restaurant respond, “I am,” the men from the car start punching and beating the diners.  One of the victims’ friends grabbed a post used to mark off the dining area and started swinging it at the attackers to get them away.  Restaurant staff then hustled the diners into the restaurant, after which they locked the door and called police.

Arab-American groups were quick to denounce the violent attack.  “As a civil rights and advocacy organization, we support everyone’s right to free speech, the right to assemble and rally in support of their respective political views,” Executive Director Hussam Ayloush of the Council on American-Islamic Relations for Greater Los Angeles said in a statement. “However, despite heightened tensions in Palestine and Israel, it is never acceptable for that conflict to spill over into our streets and cities. Violence and intimidation should be condemned, investigated, and if warranted, prosecuted.”