Protesters against the war in Gaza held a “die-in” Thursday in Lafayette Park and across from the White House as President Joe Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Protesters splashed red liquid onto the streets to symbolize the blood of those killed in Gaza. They chanted “Arrest Netanyahu” and carried a blood-stained effigy of Netanyahu wearing an orange jumpsuit with the words “Wanted for Crimes Against Humanity” written on it.
More than 39,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October, and dozens of Israeli hostages remain held by Hamas.
In a speech to parliament on Wednesday, Netanyahu defended Israel’s actions during the war. Thousands of demonstrators gathered near the parliament building, waving Palestinian flags and marching through the city, demanding Netanyahu’s arrest.
Outside Washington’s Union Station, protesters removed an American flag and replaced it with a Palestinian one, eliciting cheers from the crowd. They spray-painted graffiti on a Christopher Columbus monument.
Vice President Kamala Harris, a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, took a strong stance on the protesters’ actions in a statement on Thursday.
“The graffiti and speech in support of Hamas is abhorrent and must not be tolerated in our country,” she said. “I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of our nation’s highest ideals and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in such a way.”
The number of protesters on Thursday was significantly lower than the previous day.
Hazami Barmada, a self-described grassroots activist, spoke over a loudspeaker about Biden’s decision to forgo reelection and hand the baton to Harris.
“Biden didn’t voluntarily withdraw from the election; Joe Biden was thrown out of the election,” she said, “and Kamala Harris still needs to prove her humanity before she can earn the trust of Palestinian supporters.”
“Until you show that you share the ideals that Democrats are supposed to believe in, I’m not going to vote for you,” she said.
At one point, a young man with an Israeli flag draped over his shoulder walked into the middle of the protest and posed for journalists’ cameras as the crowd booed.
Police worked to separate the two.
As police took the man away (he was not detained), Balmada shouted, “Look, they are trying to occupy our protest. Even our land is not enough!”
After police cleared the way, protesters marched through city streets toward the National Mall.
