Several additional barriers have been put in place around the White House ahead of this weekend’s pro-Palestinian demonstration, where activists plan to surround the iconic residence and call for an end to U.S. support for Israel amid its war with Hamas militants.

A handful of activist groups, including CODEPINK and the Council on American Islamic Relations, said this week that they plan to mark eight months of the war in the Middle East through demonstrations in the nation’s capital.

The most significant demonstration – the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) protest is taking place Saturday outside the White House, leading to enhanced security precautions.

Several barriers and anti-scale fencing were erected this week ahead of the planned demonstration, with additional barriers appearing to have been set up prior to the demonstrations early Saturday morning.

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said, “In preparation for the events this weekend in Washington D.C. that have the potential for large crowds to gather, additional public safety measures, including anti-scale fencing, have been put in place near the White House complex.”

Expected speakers at Saturday’s protest include legal scholars, attorneys, and family members of individuals in Gaza. Others are also expected to speak, including Loubna Qutami, a member of the Palestinian Feminist Collective (PFC); Brian Becker, national director for the ANSWER Coalition; Layan Fuleihan, education director for The People’s Forum; Jill Stein, presidential candidate for the Green Party; Claudia De la Cruz, presidential nominee for the Party for Socialism and Liberation 2024; Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of CODEPINK; and Nidal Jboor, a co-founder of Doctors Against Genocide.

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Workers secure anti-scaling security fencing around the White House complex on June 7, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Throughout the U.S. in recent months, numerous anti-Israel protests have swept across the nation, including on several college campuses and in larger cities.

Other anti-Israel protests have caused major disruptions to traffic in different parts of the country, where activists would block certain roads and prevent people from reaching particular destinations like the airport or train station.

Following the dismantling of multiple anti-Israel encampments that were set up on college campuses earlier this year, President Biden said in May that he does not support the “chaos” that stems from many of the protests.

“There is a right to protest, but not a right to cause chaos,” Biden said from the White House at the time.

President Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 31, 2024. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Destroying property is not a peaceful protest. It’s against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the canceling of classes and graduations — none of this is a peaceful protest,” he added.

Biden and his administration have faced immense pressure from the progressive wing of his party to withdraw U.S. aid to the war-torn country.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a conservative firebrand known for law-and-order views and fierce criticism of Gov. Gavin Newsom, is considering a run for governor in 2026.

Bianco, who was first elected as sheriff in 2018 following a decades-long career at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, hasn’t formally announced his candidacy. However, he told The Times in an interview Friday that he’s discussing with his family a run for the state’s top job.

“I live in the perfect place. I have the perfect job, and I would do this for the next 40 years if people would keep electing me here in Riverside County,” Bianco said. “So this is a huge thing for me to decide to just give up. The growing number of people that are trying to convince me to do this is a bug in my ear that, quite frankly, has given me something to think about.”

The sheriff, who has not been shy about calling attention to what he sees as deficiencies in statewide public safety laws, had a viral moment this month when he posted a tongue-in-cheek video on Instagram endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. In it, the sheriff, sitting in a car wearing his uniform, jokes that after years of being critical of policies that have closed prisons or reduced jail sentences, he is “going to change teams.”

“I think it’s time we put a felon in the White House,” he deadpanned. “Trump 2024, baby. Let’s save this country and make America great again.”

Critics called him out for advocating for a candidate while wearing a taxpayer-funded uniform.

State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, who is running for governor, called for an investigation into Bianco’s actions and accused him of breaking a state law that prohibits officers or employees of local agencies from participating in political activities while in uniform.

“We can’t afford to have a criminal in the White House or a governor who doesn’t follow the law,” Thurmond said in a video posted on X. On Friday, Thurmond challenged Bianco to a debate “about the issues, from [Bianco’s] misuse of taxpayer funds to the myriad of challenges facing the people of California.”

Bianco told The Times he has “zero regrets” about posting the video and was dismayed that his detractors failed to address the first portion of it, in which he points out the public safety challenges facing the state.

“It’s shocking that the only thing that would garner attention is me saying I support Trump. It’s the epitome of the failure of the political system,” Bianco said. “Everyone just wants to talk about what they want to talk about and avoid the disaster they’re part of or that they have caused.”

In 2021, Bianco grabbed headlines for vowing not to enforce vaccine mandates for Sheriff’s Department employees, saying he believes vaccination is a personal choice.

A month later, Bianco faced scrutiny after it was revealed through a data leak that in 2014 he was a dues-paying member of the Oath Keepers, a far-right, anti-government group whose ranks participated in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. At the time, he said in a statement that “like many other law enforcement officers and veterans who were members, I learned the group did not offer me anything and so I did not continue membership.”

Last year, Bianco was among a coalition of 90 sheriffs across the country who publicly endorsed the tough stance on border security taken by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination.

More recently, Bianco has appeared on television news outlets to champion an initiative called the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act, which seeks to change Prop. 47, the 2014 ballot measure that reduced some nonviolent property crimes and simple drug possession to misdemeanors. The initiative would toughen penalties for retail theft and require drug treatment for those charged with possession.

A coalition of sheriffs across California, the Republican Party of Riverside County and a number of current and former lawmakers have called on Bianco to run for governor.

Former State Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, who is leading a group called the “Draft Bianco coalition,” said in a statement this week that the sheriff’s candidacy would provide a “real alternative” for California voters.

“In the face of Sacramento’s failures on issues like crime and homelessness, Sheriff Bianco’s leadership has been an example for other communities to follow across the state,” Hollingsworth said.

Bianco would be the first high-profile Republican to enter the crowded race to succeed Newsom, who terms out in 2027. In addition to Thurmond, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, State Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and former state Controller Betty Yee have announced their candidacies.

“I don’t want to be just the Republican running for governor. I want to be the leader that people want to fix this state,” Bianco said. “And if I can get mentally to a point where I believe that California wants a leader to fix the state, then I will make the decision to do it.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that he and fellow Democratic leaders in the state legislature are attempting to negotiate a Proposition 47 reform measure off the November ballot, but Republican leaders affirmed their support for voters to determine if parts of the initiative should be repealed.

Prop 47, which was approved by voters in 2014, made several crimes — including shoplifting, grand theft and receiving stolen property — a misdemeanor instead of a felony if the value of the property did not exceed $950. It also lowered the penalty for the personal use of most illegal drugs below a certain weight.

The initiative has been blamed by law enforcement, businesses and others for the rise in theft in California, according to KCRA.

“There’s a lot of moving parts, a lot of negotiations concurrently happening,” Newsom told reporters on Friday. “Prop 47 is included.”

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The governor and some Democrats have said they do not support the bipartisan effort to amend Prop 47. Newsom and legislative leaders are pushing some public safety bills circulating through the state Capitol that attempt to address organized retail theft, car break-ins and other crimes, after residents in the state voiced their concerns about the rise in crime.

The Prop 47 reform initiative is likely to make it onto the ballot, according to recent data from the California Secretary of State’s office. Proponents of the reform gathered 910,000 signatures supporting the ballot measure, although the signatures are still being verified.

Some Democrat lawmakers plan to add inoperability clauses into the public safety bills to prevent them from going into effect if voters approve the Prop 47 reforms, according to KCRA. Some Democrats said this is to ensure there are not any inconsistencies in the law, a claim the campaign seeking to reform Prop 47 rejected on Friday.

Republicans are calling this plan a “poison pill.” Republican leaders wrote a letter to Democrat leaders on Thursday announcing their opposition to “poison pills” that include repealing retail theft bills should voters adopt Prop 47 reforms.

“To combat the California crime wave, we need to strengthen our laws, both in the Legislature and at the ballot box,” Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones said in a statement. “It’s irresponsible to force voters into a false choice between the two. Unfortunately, some Democrat politicians are too prideful to admit their mistake with Prop 47 and they continue to deny the desperate need for reform. The Democrats’ poison pill amendments are a cynical attempt to mislead voters and prevent the necessary overhaul of our broken laws.”

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The governor and some Democrats have said they do not support the bipartisan effort to amend Prop 47. (MediaNews Group/East Bay Times via Getty Images)

Newsom declined to say if he would sign the legislation if it includes the inoperability clauses. When asked if he was not confident that voters would reject the measure if it makes it onto the November ballot, the governor said he does not believe it is necessary to have it on the ballot.

“Why have something on the ballot that doesn’t actually achieve the goals that are intended? Why do something that can be done legislatively, with more flexibility? I think it’s a better approach,” he said.

The ballot initiative would change Prop 47 to enhance penalties for repeat thieves, requiring people who steal for a third time to spend up to three years in prison. The measure would also classify the possession of fentanyl as a felony.

“Democrats need to stop playing politics with public safety and let voters decide on fixing Prop. 47,” Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher said in a statement. “These poison pills show that Democrats aren’t serious about ending the crime wave – they just want to look like they’re doing something because their years-long support for criminals has become a political liability.”

Prop 47, approved by voters a decade ago, made several crimes, including shoplifting, grand theft and receiving stolen property, a misdemeanor instead of a felony if the value of the property did not exceed $950. (Fox News)

Democrat Senate Pro Tempore Mike McGuire has said the measure is unnecessary, and that the legislative public safety package is the better choice.

“If you want a set of laws that will blunt retail theft, this plan is exactly what’s needed in this state,” McGuire said. “That’s why these bills are supported by law enforcement, firefighters, retailers, store owners and trusted local leaders. These 14 bills that will move next week aren’t about partisan politics, they’re about keeping the people of California safe.”

California’s secretary of state has until June 27 to certify the November ballot, which means Democrat leaders have just weeks to attempt to negotiate the measure off the ballot.