What began with a few “man on the street” interviews at a pro-Palestine rally quickly descended into a witness to violence, arson, and unmistakable vitriol against America and Israel.
It all unfolded at a rally and march in protest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington on Wednesday to address a joint session of Congress.
Thousands of people clogged the streets of Capitol Hill to make their voices heard in protest of the war in Gaza, of who they called “war criminal” Netanyahu, and of America’s supposed “funding of genocide.”
US Flags Burned, Palestinian Flags Raised
Protesters swarmed Union Station to tear down the three American flags that stand tall outside the transit hub and replace them with Palestinian flags.
The American flags were burned on the ground while crowds cheered on the act.
Off With Netanyahu’s Head
We asked a group of white men wearing kaffiyehs and other Palestinian grab whether they were there to perform a “citizen’s arrest” of Netanyahu. We had seen hundreds of premade signs calling the Israeli prime minister a “war criminal.”
One man responded, “I, like, called out sick from work, so if I get arrested … . But, you know, he deserves it.”
We followed up with: “If you could get to Netanyahu, what would you do, what would you say to him?”
One of two protesters, laughing off the question, said, “I can’t answer that right now, I don’t want to incriminate myself.”
A third protester showed off a replica guillotine. A friend of his assured us that it was “obviously just metaphorical.”
“A human head wouldn’t fit through that hole.”
An effigy like that of the Palestinian guillotine evoked comparisons to the gallows displayed by Jan. 6 protesters. The New York Times called the latter “right-wing iconography.”
Lone Patriot Gets Swarmed
A man standing off to one side of the rally stage holding a sign saying “Hamas-Hezbollah-Houthi CRUSH THEM” was immediately surrounded and heckled by pro-Palestinian protesters.
Pro-Jihad, Pro-Terrorist, Pro-Marxist Presence
Protesters proudly waved jihadist flags and the Cuban flag. Many people also sported signs and merchandise featuring images of Palestinian terrorist Leila Khaled and flags with a leader of the terrorist group Hamas on them.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation, a communist political party, was also active at Wednesday’s demonstrations.
Police Ready in Riot Gear
Barricades of police lined the perimeter of the U.S. Capitol building. Present at the riot were officers of the U.S. Park Police; the New York Police Department; Montgomery County, Maryland, Police; U.S. Capitol Police; and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, along with Department of Homeland Security agents.
They were equipped with gas masks and pepper spray. A few noncompliant protesters were seen pouring water into their eyes and wiping off their bodies after being pepper-sprayed by police.
Biden, Netanyahu Effigies
The mob paraded bloody paper mâché effigies of Netanyahu and President Joe Biden through the streets.
A large effigy of Biden with devil horns held an object resembling a missile that said, “ISRAEL BOMBS, US PAYS.”
A fake Netanyahu was wheeled over the top of flames of an already burning American flag and caught fire while the crowd—and the flames—roared.
Another effigy likened the Israeli leader to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
The protesters made clear they were none too happy with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. A speaker at the rally called her out for supposedly being complicit in genocide and said the protesters would not vote for her in November “just because she is black and a woman.”
LGBTQs for Palestine
Many protesters waved both the Palestinian and Pride flags at once. Some held signs written in rainbow marker that read “There is no PRIDE in GENOCIDE.”
One person even waved a double-sided transgender and Palestinian flag, despite the fact that acts of homosexuality are punishable under law in Gaza.
Protesters Resist Arrest
As pro-Palestinian protesters began lowering the first of three American flags outside Union Station, raising a Palestinian flag in its stead, U.S. Park Police chased down and began arresting a man close to the scene. While detaining and arresting the individual, another protester emerged from the mob and dragged one of the police officers away.
Another officer intervened with his baton as his partner stood back up and regained his balance.
U.S. Park Police revoked the protesters’ permit shortly after the mob turned violent.
