RICHMOND — Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez on Thursday rejected calls for his resignation by a Bay Area Jewish organization after he shared a slew of social media posts about a recent mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration in Australia.

The posts, shared on the mayor’s LinkedIn account, claimed the incident on Sunday at Australia’s Bondi Beach was a “false flag.” The massacre resulted in 15 deaths and dozens of injuries, according to The Associated Press.

The Jewish Community Relations Council issued an open letter Thursday asserting Martinez “has demonstrated an alarming and ongoing pattern of conduct that falls far short” of the standards necessary to lead a city of more than 100,000 people.

Posts shared by Martinez also claimed Israel was behind a series of anti-Jewish threats, argued public Hanukkah celebrations act as “statements of power” and claimed the behavior of Israel and its citizens is the root cause of antisemitism.

“No community should be led by someone whose conduct contributes to fear, divisio, and exclusion. This is a stark example of where toxic social media, unchecked rhetoric and the constant demonization of Israel and Jews can lead — and why it must be confronted,” the open letter stated.

Martinez acknowledged the posts in an apology on his LinkedIn account. In the apology, Martinez said Zionism and Judaism should not be conflated, asserting “they are two separate beliefs.”

The mayor said he initially planned to keep the posts on his profile to avoid appearing as if he was trying to hide his actions, but ultimately decided to remove them out of concern people would think he agreed with them.

“I want to assure everyone that these postings are my opinions (or my mistakes) and mine only. They are not statements from my office or the city of Richmond. If I make a mistake, that mistake is mine only. Once again, I apologize for posting in haste without full understanding of the posting,” Martinez wrote.

In response to another comment questioning the mayor’s motives, Martinez said he shared the posts to seek analysis and “did not agree nor disagree with the text because I did not understand the point of it.” He said the experience has taught him not to share things he does not understand.

“I am a pacifist with no tolerance for violence,” Martinez said.

Martinez did not immediately respond to requests for comment from this news organization, but he said in an interview with ABC 7 that he does not intend to step down. He also told the network he has reached out to the local Jewish community and is working on educating himself.

The mayor’s recent actions on social media come months after Martinez spoke at the People’s Conference for Palestine in Detroit where he likened himself to Hamas, a state-designated terrorist orgaization responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that left 1,200 people dead.

Israel’s military response has resulted in the deaths of more than 70,000 Palestinians, according to PBS News, which cited Gaza’s Health Ministry. Both sides have been accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

A contentious, and at times violent, relationship between Israelis and Palestinians over the decades led to the Oct. 7 attack, Martinez said during the Aug. 29 event. He said questions asking whether he supported Hamas were complicated, and then told a story about being a child on the playground who stuck up for himself and was labeled the transgressor.

“If Palestine were a school yard playground, I would be a Palestinian. And that part of me that couldn’t endure the abuse anymore would be Hamas,” Martinez said.

The mayor and his colleagues on the council have been vocal supporters of Palestinians, having been one of the first elected bodies to pass a ceasefire resolution just weeks after the war began.

Though met with both strong support and opposition, the council voted 5-1 to approve the solidary resolution. Vice Mayor Cesar Zepeda was the lone no vote and Councilmember Claudia Jimenez was absent. Councilmembers Sue Wilson and Jamelia Brown were not on the council at the time.

Zepeda and Councilmember Soheila Bana did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

Wilson and Jimenez disavowed the posts and their contents in individual statements. Councilmember Doria Robinson shared her grief for those harmed during the Bondi Beach shooting, but all three did not offer their support for Martinez stepping down or being removed from the council.

Instead, Robinson said the upcoming 2026 mayoral election would give the community the opportunity to decide his political fate. Wilson and Jimenez said Martinez deserved the opportunity to learn, grow and make amends for his actions.

As an immigrant woman from Colombia, Jimenez said she understands how it feels to witness governments justify violence inflicted upon ordinary people far away and the dangers that come with speaking out against those harms. While calling the posts “reckless,” Jimenez also raised concerns that the current outrage is being used as a way to “punish” Martinez for his advocacy for Palestinians.

Jimenez argued that a majority of Americans, including Bay Area and Richmond residents, believe Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is “deeply unjust and violent,” and that Israel should not receive the support of the U.S. government.

“The difference is that Eduardo is willing to say this out loud, in public spaces. That courage has put a target on his back,” Jimenez said. “As someone who came to this country believing in dialogue, in repair and in the possibility of growth, I believe we can demand better from our leaders without destroying them for being imperfect human beings.”

The lone council member to support calls for Martinez’s resignation was Brown, who said in a Facebook statement the mayor had “ample time … to educate himself, to lead with respect and dignity for ALL people and to stop engaging in rhetoric that harms members of our community.”

Brown said Martinez should voluntarily step down but also noted the public could recall him or, like Robinson, use the election process to remove him, though Brown said the public should not have to wait for the process to play out.

“We would never tell another marginalized community to wait after they’ve been violated, or in this case repeatedly. We have acted with urgency when immigrant families were being targeted. We have acted with urgency when Black communities faced discrimination. The Jewish community deserves that same urgency, clarity and protection,” Brown said.

Other Bay Area officials have also shared strong outrage. State Sen. Scott Wiener said on social media that it was “disgraceful” that Martinez was using his platform to spread antisemitic conspiracy theories.

“Antisemites routinely spread lies that rising violence against Jews is actually self-inflicted. No public official should amplify this effort to erase the reality of targeting and violence that Jews face,” Wiener said.

Walnut Creek Mayor Kevin Wilk called Martinez’s sharing of the posts “disturbing” and “reprehensible” in a Facebook post. Hercules Councilmember Alexander Walker Griffin said in a comment under a Jewish Community Relations Council Instagram post that the situation was “disappointing and sad” and noted officials attend public Christmas tree lightings.

Former El Cerrito Mayor Tessa Rudnick, who on her Instagram account said she used to refer to Martinez as “Tio Eddy,” had a stronger tone.

“Eduardo is an antisemite and a lost cause — I’m happy to be public about this, because I’m not here to protect harmful public officials who can’t recognize their own hate,” Rudnick said. “He’s not fit to be mayor of Richmond.”