Several more barricades have been erected around the White House ahead of pro-Palestinian demonstrations this weekend in which activists plan to surround the iconic mansion and demand an end to US support for Israel as it continues its war with Hamas militants.
A small group of activists, including CODEPINK and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said they planned to demonstrate in the nation’s capital this week to mark the eighth month of the Middle East war.
The most significant demonstration, the “Act Now to Stop the War and End Racism (ANSWER)” protest, took place outside the White House on Saturday, leading to increased security.
Several barricades and anti-scald fencing were set up ahead of planned demonstrations this week, with additional barricades expected to be erected ahead of a demonstration early Saturday morning.
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U.S. Secret Service agents patrol behind a makeshift security fence around the White House in Washington, DC, June 7, 2024, ahead of a pro-Palestinian demonstration on June 8. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
“In preparation for potential large gatherings in Washington, DC this weekend, the US Secret Service has implemented additional public safety measures, including security fencing, around the White House,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Other speakers scheduled to speak at Saturday’s protest include legal scholars, lawyers and Gaza family members, as well as Palestinian Feminist Collective (PFC) member Lubna Qutami, ANSWER Coalition national director Brian Becker, People’s Forum education director Rayan Fleihan, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, Socialism and Liberation Party 2024 presidential candidate Claudia de la Cruz, CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin and Doctors Against Genocide co-founder Nidal Jubour.
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Workers install security fencing around the White House in Washington, DC, on June 7, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Numerous anti-Israel protests have taken place across the United States in recent months, including on college campuses and in major cities across the country.
Other anti-Israel protests caused major traffic disruptions in different parts of the country, with activists blocking certain roads and preventing people from reaching certain destinations, such as airports and train stations.
Following the dismantling of several anti-Israel camps set up on college campuses earlier this year, President Biden said in May that he did not support the “chaos” that resulted from many of the protests.
“You have a right to protest, but you don’t have the right to cause chaos,” Biden said at the White House at the time.
President Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 31, 2024. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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“Destroying property is not peaceful protest. It is illegal. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, closing campuses, forcing classes and graduations to be canceled — none of these are peaceful protests,” he added.
Biden and his administration are under intense pressure from progressives within his party to withdraw U.S. aid to the war-torn country.
