A US Muslim group criticised former US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi after she suggested, without offering evidence, that some protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza could be linked to Russia and urged the FBI to investigate, Reuters reports.

Her comments were dismissed as “unsubstantiated smears” by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which said such remarks amounted to the dehumanisation of the Palestinian people.

“It is unconscionable that an individual with such influence in this nation would spread unsubstantiated smears targeting those who seek an end to the slaughter of civilians in Gaza and a just resolution to that conflict,” said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesperson for CAIR.

Pelosi’s comments “echo a time in our nation when opponents of the Vietnam War were accused of being communist sympathizers and subjected to FBI harassment,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad added.

When asked about the protests against Biden’s policy in Gaza, Democratic US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told NBC News that opposition by many to the bombardment was based on “the indiscriminate loss of life” in the region.

The UN has demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, but Washington has vetoed resolutions for such calls in the United Nations Security Council, saying it would let Palestinian fighter group Hamas, which governs Gaza, regroup and rebuild.