To cries of “Break it down,” anti-Israel protesters surged against a reinforced fence outside the White House on Saturday evening. The Secret Service evacuated nonessential personnel for their safety as the crowd grew more violent.
The anti-scale fencing erected ahead of the protest appeared to give way as the mob lifted it off the ground. Some protesters tried to climb over the fence, according to video of the incident.
Protesters threw water bottles and sticks at Secret Service agents, who kept them from entering the White House grounds.
“There were instances of illegal and destructive behavior in Lafayette Park, including items being thrown at our officers,” District of Columbia Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said in a statement.
?The White House:
BREAKING
Protestors have breached the reinforced gate and riot police have confronted them – other protestors began scaling the fence
WATCH: pic.twitter.com/HuQ6sBUC1N
— Wid Lyman (@Wid_Lyman) January 14, 2024
Earlier, protesters chanted, “1, 2, 3, 4, occupation no more, 5, 6, 7, 8, Israel is a terrorist state,” and “Biden, Biden you’re a liar, we demand a ceasefire.”
Thousands participated in the protest “from as far [away] as Florida, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin,” in what was termed “the March on Washington for Gaza,” according to the British Guardian.
It was organized by the American Muslim Task Force for Palestine and other groups to call attention to what they claimed were Israel’s “crimes against humanity,” the paper reported.
In November, protesters vandalized the White House with red paint and shouted, “F*** Joe Biden” at a rally in Washington backing Hamas, one of many that took place in cities across North America and Europe.
The thousands of demonstrators gathered in the American capital chanted, “Long live the intifada,” “Free Palestine” and “Allahu Akbar” while holding signs calling “resistance against occupation” a “human right” and for an end to U.S. aid to Israel.
Last month, members of Doctors Against Genocide caused a firestorm by calling for a rally at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, followed by a gathering outside the White House. “Urgent call to action,” it announced. “Stop the genocide in Gaza.”
“Our museum is the national memorial to the 6 million Jews killed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. It is deeply offensive to survivors and the memory of the victims to exploit Holocaust history,” the museum posted to its 437,000 followers on social media.
In response, Doctors Against Genocide posted: “We made a decision to cancel the event. We will be announcing future events with more detailed communication.”
