The White House fence was splattered with red paint by demonstrators on Saturday evening.
The protest was marked by attempts to breach the White House gates and chants critical of President Joe Biden.
As the night progressed, activists were spotted trying to ascend the White House’s iconic wrought-iron barriers. The General Marquis de Lafayette Statue, situated in the adjacent Lafayette Park, was also defaced with graffiti and draped with Palestinian flags, according to various posts circulating on social media platforms.
The group was voicing their disapproval of the Biden administration’s stance on Israel amid its conflict with Hamas. Explicit chants against President Biden were heard from the crowd, with calls for Palestine’s liberation ringing through the air.
The chants grew louder as they echoed the sentiment, “Free, free Palestine,” and other rallying cries such as “Allahu akbar” and demands for an immediate ceasefire.
The U.S. Secret Service responded to the incidents, ensuring that the situation remained under control.
Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service’s chief of communications, confirmed, “The area is being cleared as demonstrators disperse, and earlier gate security concerns were managed without any disturbances. At this moment, the Secret Service has not made any arrests.”
A protester interviewed by the Washington Post, Manar Ghanayem, expressed the demonstrators’ intent: “We’re here to raise our voices and hope to shift perceptions about this conflict. We believe every person has fundamental human rights.”
On the contrary, Ron Halber, the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Group, criticized the protesters in his statement to the Post.
He accused them of blindly supporting what he labeled a terrorist group responsible for the deaths of Israelis and taking hostages, including from the United States.
Halber condemned the demonstrators’ actions as a misguided move that would be unfavorably judged by history.
