Updated

A San Diego cultural center kept a Day of the Dead altar with portraits of Yahya Sinwar, Abu Obeida and Qassem Soleimani on display in Balboa Park despite backlash from California lawmakers and Jewish organizations. The Centro Cultural de la Raza, which operates in a city-owned building, removed the Hezbollah and Houthi flags from the altar but kept the portraits, which also include photos of deceased Palestinian children and journalists. State Senator Steve Padilla and Assemblymember Chris Ward condemned the display and asked the city to intervene, and The Finest Community Coalition, representing 49 local Jewish organizations, called for it to be taken down. The center rejected the demands and said the criticism threatened its First Amendment protections, according to The Jerusalem Post. The dispute escalated when Daniel La Salle, a Jewish alumnus of San Diego State University, said staff physically ejected him from the center during a film screening, an incident recorded on video. Adam Maslia, director of the coalition, told the Post that removing only the flags was an unacceptable half measure.