Pro-Palestinian marchers arrived at the White House Saturday to protest the Biden administration’s position on the current war in the Middle East. The demonstration occurred the same day that Israel announced a daring raid in Gaza that freed four hostages.
The demonstration in Washington attracted thousands of protesters, with one estimate pegging the number at around 30,000. The demonstration was joined by a number of Islamist and left-wing groups, including the Answer Coalition.
The protesters utilized a banner showing the names of the people killed since the current war began last October. The protesters called the list that of “over 40,000 Palestinians martyred by Israel since Oct. 7.”
Literally a pro-terrorism protest outside the White House. https://t.co/vo18P5XWsz
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) June 8, 2024
A number of monuments were defaced by the protesters, including a statue of former President Andrew Jackson.
An additional fence was placed around the White House prior to the protest.
The demonstrators chanted a number of pro-Palestinian messages, including demands for an immediate ceasefire. At least one protester held up a sign that said he was “pro-Hamas.”
Another protester held up a bloody mask depicting President Joe Biden. One sign showed an image of Secretary of State Antony Blinken with red eyes and blood dripping from his mouth.
Some Biden campaign officials appear to be worried about the effects of the president’s polling among Muslim-Americans. Conservatives have also criticized the president as not being supportive enough of Israel.
The Israeli raid received considerable acclaim this Saturday. Four hostages held since the Oct. 7 attacks were rescued by Israeli military and intelligence forces.
Israel and the United States are not sure how many more hostages are held by Hamas. The group and its allies took more than 200 captives during the attack, including several Americans.
The latest success came as Israel appeared ready to launch an attack on Rafah, the last remaining Hamas stronghold. The Biden administration has warned several times against such an attack, and Biden threatened to withhold arms from Israel if it proceeds.
However, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled that it would launch the attack at a time of its choosing.
