Politics
Anti-Israel protesters descend on White House as Biden meets with Netanyahu
A group of protesters approached the White House with an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many gallons of red paint on Thursday.
The protest coincides with Netanyahu’s visit to the White House to meet with President Biden. Police closed the park just outside the White House’s north lawn, relegating the protesters to a side street.
The protesters are carrying many of the same signs seen at Wednesday’s anti-Israel protest at Union Station. That protest saw pro-Hamas slogans and the burning of American flags.
At least 20 of the protesters stood behind a banner displaying the words “Prime Minister of Genocide.”
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Images show the protesters began dumping the dozens of gallons of red liquid onto the street near the White House.
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Republican lawmakers accompanied police to replace the American flags after the protests on Wednesday night. Democrats later joined Republicans in condemning the acts on Thursday morning.
“What happened at Union Station was vile, offensive, wrong,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X. “Hamas is a terrorist organization. Exalting them and burning Union Station’s American flag is disgraceful. Defacing public property is illegal. Hateful, antisemitic messages and threats against Jews have no place here.”
A person spray paints on the base of the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain as pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest near the US Capitol as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress on July 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Thomas/AFP via Getty Images)
Several top Democrats released statements condemning the incident, including Vice President Harris, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
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Netanyahu addressed Congress in a speech on Wednesday, drawing the crowds of protesters to the U.S. Capitol.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators with an effigy Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu protest in front of the White House to denounce US President Joe Biden meeting with Netanyahu in Washington, DC, on July 25, 2024. (Andrew Thomas/AFP via Getty Images)
One man who walked by the protest and remarked that he was Jewish and was offended by the language was then chased down the street, yelled at and called “Hitler” by agitators. He and a woman were later let inside a building to get away from the protesters. When a Fox News reporter asked why they followed the man, one said it was because he was White and Jewish.