Gaza protesters hold a ‘die-in’ near White House as Netanyahu meets with Biden, Harris

WASHINGTON — Protesters against the Gaza war held a “die-in” across from Lafayette Park and the White House on Thursday as President Joe Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In an address to Congress on Wednesday, Netanyahu defended Israel’s conduct during the war, as thousands of demonstrators massed near the Capitol, marching through city streets carrying Palestinian flags and calling for Netanyahu’s arrest.

Outside Washington’s Union Station, protesters removed American flags and hoisted Palestinian ones in their place. They sprayed graffiti on a monument to Christopher Columbus.

Video footage showed protesters attacking U.S. Park Police officers who were trying to maintain order. Columbus Circle is under the jurisdiction of the Park Police. Reports indicate that more than 20 protesters were arrested during the demonstrations.

On Thursday, protesters poured red liquid onto the street, saying it symbolized the blood of those killed in Gaza. They chanted, “Arrest Netanyahu,” and brought in an effigy of Netanyahu with blood on its hands and wearing an orange jumpsuit. The jumpsuit reads, “Wanted for crimes against humanity.”

In a statement Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, criticized the protesters’ actions.

“Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent, and we must not tolerate it in our nation,” she said. “I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in that way.”

The number of protesters Thursday was significantly smaller than the day before.

Hazami Barmada, who described herself as a gras-sroots activist, spoke through a megaphone of Biden’s decision not to see re-election and to pass the baton to Harris.

“Biden did not voluntarily leave the race, Joe Biden was pushed out of the race,” she said. “And Kamala Harris still needs to prove her humanity” before earning the trust of pro-Palestinian voters.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called for stern legal actions against the protesters who clashed with U.S. Park Police at Washington’s Union Station. McConnell, R-Ky., called for equal law enforcement, noting the severe measures taken against the Capitol rioters on Jan. 6, 2021.

“My view has always been that when extremists conspire to sow chaos and violate our nation’s capital, the government should throw the book at them, no matter their motivation, no matter their politics,” McConnell said. “But will they pursue the lawless radicals inspired by Oct. 7 with equal vigor? Will the district’s own government exercise the authority Congress has given it to maintain order and discourage lawless behavior? I’m not holding my breath.”