Pro-Palestinian Protesters Clash with Riot Police as They Breach White House Gate By Caroline Downey
A pro-Palestinian protest in Washington, D.C., got unruly on Saturday night as activists nearly breached an exterior White House gate and clashed with riot police.
Protesters rushed against the reinforced gate, an extra security measure installed in front of the primary White House gate, causing it to shake while some tried to scale the structure. Police and presumably some secret service agents waited on the other side to deter the demonstrators.
“Break it down!!,” one protester bellowed amid the cacophony.
“You support the murdering of children!,” another protester screamed.
Some protesters flew large Palestinian flags and wore keffiyahs.
Objects, such as bottles, are seen being thrown over the fence in footage of the incident. Some staff members and members of the press were evacuated from parts of the White House as the chaos unfolded Saturday night, Fox News reported.
“During the demonstration near the White House complex Jan. 13, a portion of the anti-scale fencing that was erected for the event sustained temporary damage,” the U.S. Secret Service told Fox News in a statement. “The issues were promptly repaired on site by U.S. Secret Service support teams.”
“As a precaution, some members of the media and staff in proximity to Pennsylvania Avenue were temporarily relocated while the issue was being addressed,” the statement added. “The Secret Service made no arrests associated with the march and there was no property damage to the White House or adjacent buildings.”
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith, who oversees Washington, D.C., police, rebuked protest activity that devolved into lawlessness in a statement to Fox News.
“The right to peacefully protest is one of the cornerstones of our democracy, and the Metropolitan Police Department has long supported those who visit our city to demonstrate safely,” she told the outlet. “However, violence, destructive behavior, and criminal activities are not tolerated.”
Protesters in front of the White House Saturday Night also chanted, “Yemen, Yemen make us proud / Turn another ship around,” after the U.S. deployed strikes on a radar site controlled by Houthi militants.
The strike consisted of warship-and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, U.S. officials said. The U.S. action came in response to a series of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, which the Houthis boasted had resulted in multiple casualties in addition to trade disruption, the Associated Press reported. The U.S. Navy on Friday cautioned American vessels to avoid areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for a period following the initial airstrikes.
“These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea — including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history,” President Biden said in statement. “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
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