Thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators took to the streets of Washington DC on Saturday to demand a ceasefire in the Gaza strip and protest President Joe Biden’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas. The massive rally saw numerous acts of vandalism throughout the capital city, culminating in an attempt to breach the White House grounds amid chants of “F**k Joe Biden” and “Free Palestine.”
An estimated 300,000 protesters began to gather early on Saturday afternoon, marching through DC while waving Palestinian flags and carrying signs bearing various anti-Israel and anti-Biden slogans. The march, which was sponsored in part by far-left anti-war advocacy group Code Pink, came in response to Israel’s ongoing ground campaign in the Gaza Strip, itself a retaliation for the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants that killed an estimated 1,400 Israelis.
Not Qatar. Not Egypt. Not Lebanon.
Washington DC, 2023. Pro-Palestinian march stretches as far as the eye can see.
pic.twitter.com/u8d8PnXumQ— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) November 4, 2023
The Gaza Health Ministry—which, like Gaza’s other government departments, is run by Hamas—reports that Israel’s airstrikes and ground maneuvers have killed 9,448 Palestinians. Since the war began, President Biden has stood firm in supporting Israel’s side of the conflict, refusing to call for a ceasefire despite pressure from members of his own party. Instead, he has requested a “humanitarian pause” to aid endangered civilians and rescue more than 400 hostages taken during the initial raid. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to consider a ceasefire, and both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have supported a $14.3 billion aid package for Israel.
But in the eyes of tens of thousands of protesters that have taken to the streets across the West in recent weeks, support for Israel constitutes support for a genocide against the Palestinian people.
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The march held in the nation’s capital this weekend echoed calls for a ceasefire and an immediate end to American support for the Israeli war effort. As evening fell, the scheduled demonstration reached the front gates of the White House, where protesters quickly surrounded the grounds. As chants of “Genocide Joe,” “F**k Joe Biden,” “Allahu Akbar,” and “Intifada Now” rang out from the crowd, demonstrators began smearing blood-red paint on the fence. Others grabbed the gate itself and attempted to pry it open, undeterred by law enforcement and Secret Service agents on the other side.
One man even attempted to scale the fence while waving a Palestinian flag and leading a “Free Palestine” chant. However, by night’s end, the Secret Service reported that no arrests had been made, claiming that everything had been handled “without incident.”
#BREAKING: Anti-Jewish protesters scale security fence around White House pic.twitter.com/Z4MDY9lOHl
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) November 5, 2023
Protesters also vandalized monuments and buildings throughout the city, including in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House, where the statue of the park’s namesake was graffitied and draped with the Palestinian flag. Other incidents included a local McDonald’s being vandalized and several buildings being defaced with anti-Israel graffiti.
Here's the scene outside White House and in Lafayette Park, where thousands remain
There's significant vandalism of WH fence #March4Palestine pic.twitter.com/2wo59M4R16
— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) November 4, 2023
After the demonstration ended shortly after 8 p.m., DC’s Metropolitan Police Department reported that only one person had been arrested for destruction of property. “Several minor incidents, including property damage, were reported during First Amendment activity in the District this weekend,” read a statement from the MPD. “There were no major incidents reported.”
#Update: Several minor incidents, including property damage, were reported during First Amendment activity in the District this weekend. There were no major incidents reported. Read more: https://t.co/sRv6YunBX5 pic.twitter.com/K2TSY0WtSm
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) November 5, 2023
But while the mass protest quickly grabbed headlines, it remains to be seen whether President Biden himself took notice. At the time of the incident, Biden was not present in the White House and was instead spending the weekend at his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he has stayed for roughly 40 percent of his time in office.
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