OAN’s James Meyers
3:15 PM – Saturday, June 8, 2024
A giant anti-Israel protest broke out outside the White House on Saturday, marking eight months since Israel’s war in Gaza began.
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Almost 30,000 pro-Hamas protesters began arriving outside the Executive Mansion around noon.
Members of the Answer Coalition, which is one of the activist groups taking part in the mass demonstration, revealed a “two-mile long” red banner, in reference to the “red line” they say President Joe Biden” let Israel blow past during its invasion of Rafah.
The banner “lists the over 40,000 Palestinians martyred by Israel since Oct. 7,” the group posted on X.
Other footage posted across social media platforms showed protesters igniting smoke bomb flares, which they tossed onto the White House lawn.
Additionally, the Andrew Jackson statue outside the White House was vandalized with the phrases “Free Gaza” and “Boycott Israel Products,” another post on X showed.
Fencing was surrounding the White House in anticipation of the demonstrators, who are frequently known to be violent.
The fence is a second line of defense after the considerable barrier already surrounding the grounds.
“In preparation for the events this weekend in Washington, DC, that have the potential for large crowds to gather, additional public safety measures including anti-scale fencing have been put in place near the White House complex,” a Secret Service spokesman told The Hill.
“Biden can’t draw the line, but we can. On June 8, we will come together from across the country and surround the White House. Wearing red, and raising our demands high, we will show the world that we are the red line,” Answer Coalition, an activist group taking part in the demonstration, declared on its website.
“We demand an immediate cease-fire, an immediate end to the siege on Gaza, the freedom of all Palestinian prisoners and an end to the occupation of Palestine.”
Anti-Israel protesters have been highly critical of Biden and others who have been supportive of Israel, calling for the stoppage of the war.
Meanwhile, Democrats are preparing for a large number of Hamas supporters at their annual convention in August in Chicago.
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