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Pro-Palestinian Protesters Burn American Flags and Deface Monuments Amid Clashes With Police in D.C.

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Thousands of protesters opposing the Israel-Hamas war descended on Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to condemn Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress. With chants of “Free, free Palestine,” they marched toward the Capitol before some clashed with police and were pepper-sprayed.

Pro-Palestinian activists, who promised a “day of rage” ahead of Netanyahu’s visit, filled the streets of the nation’s capital, many carrying Palestinian flags and signs calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel and to “arrest Netanyahu.” While most demonstrators were peaceful, some clashes broke out at times between demonstrators and law enforcement, which deployed pepper spray as parts of the crowd became “violent” and pushed up against police lines. At least 23 people were arrested, including six inside the House Gallery.

Outside the fenced-off Capitol, the scene was most tense at Washington’s Union Station as pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas demonstrators removed American flags and hoisted Palestinian ones in their place. At one point, an American flag was set on fire alongside an effigy of Netanyahu, prompting cheers from the crowd. “Netanyahu, you can’t hide. You’re committing genocide,” protesters shouted. Protesters also spray painted graffiti on a monument to Christopher Columbus and an adjacent Liberty Bell replica, including the words “Hamas is coming” and "All Zionists are bastards."

Police responded with what appeared to be chemical irritants, attempting to disperse the crowd amid escalating tensions throughout the day.

Netanyahu directly addressed the demonstrators outside the Capitol during his speech, which some members of Congress did not attend out of protest. “Many choose to stand with evil. They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers,” he said. “They should be ashamed of themselves.”

Netanyahu has become one of the world’s most controversial political figures in his pursuit of Israel’s deadly Military campaign in the Gaza Strip following attacks on Oct. 7 by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which was the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust. More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began nine months ago, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

During his nearly 52-minute address, Netanyahu did not mention the status of cease-fire negotiations with Hamas, despite intense international pressure to reach a deal.

As he defended Israel’s offensive against Hamas, demonstrators a couple blocks away carried signs denouncing his visit and calling for an end to what they perceive as unwavering American support for Israeli Military actions. “We need to be out here. We need to say, ‘Not in our name’,” Irene Ippolito, a protester, is quoted as telling Al Jazeera. “As American citizens, we have to realize that this could not be taking place without our taxpayer dollars sending tons of weapons to Israel as it slaughters men, women and children in Gaza.”

Police blocked demonstrators from getting close to the Capitol where Netanyahu was speaking. But some demonstrators attempted to block traffic and disrupt Netanyahu's motorcade route, chanting messages such as: "Not another nickel, not another dime. No more money for Israel's crimes." Protesters blocking traffic were turned away by officers.

A couple of days before Netanyahu’s address, dozens of protesters rallied outside his Washington hotel, holding a “noise demonstration” and reportedly dropping swarms of crickets and mealworms throughout the hotel. On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of demonstrators staged a flash mob-style protest inside the Cannon House Office Building, sitting on the floor and chanting “Let Gaza Live!” Capitol Police said it arrested about 200 people on charges related to the sit-in.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, denounced the violence at Union Station in a statement on Thursday morning, describing some of the protesters’ actions as “despicable” and “unpatriotic.” 

“I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews,” Harris said. “Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation. 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.”

Below, photos of the demonstrations and clashes in Washington on Wednesday.

A protestor waves the Palestine flag during a demonstration outside the Capitol Building
A protestor waves the Palestine flag during a demonstration outside the Capitol Building following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address during a joint session of Congress in Washington, DC on July 24, 2024.Hossein Fatemi—Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
Pro-Palestine protestors are arrested outside Union Station in Washington, D.C. on July 24th, 2024.
Pro-Palestine protestors are arrested outside Union Station in Washington, D.C. on July 24th, 2024.Jonathan Fernandes—Sipa USA/Reuters
National Park Service workers attempt to remove graffiti at Union Station on July 25, 2024 in Washington, D.C.
National Park Service workers attempt to remove graffiti at Union Station on July 25, 2024 in Washington, D.C.Kent Nishimura—Getty Images
A demonstrator shouts slogans in front of police officers
A demonstrator shouts slogans in front of police officers. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations and police clash at Union Station during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United States.Probal Rashid—LightRocket/Getty Images
Demonstrators gather on Capitol Hill on July 24, 2024 to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United States amid Israel's ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
Demonstrators gather on Capitol Hill on July 24, 2024, to protest Netanyahu’s visit and Israel’s war in Gaza.Michael A. McCoy—Getty Images
Pro-Palestinian protesters and police clash at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on July 24 during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the U.S.
Pro-Palestinian protesters and police clash at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.Matthew Hatcher—AFP/Getty Images
Demonstrators outside Union Station during a joint meeting of Congress with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.
Pro-Palestinian protesters use colored smoke flares outside Union Station on July 24, 2024.Graeme Sloan—Bloomberg/Getty Images
A protest signage against Benjamin Netanyahu is seen near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., ahead of a scheduled visit by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 24, 2024.
Protest signage calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal is seen near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., ahead of a scheduled visit by Netanyahu on July 24, 2024.Mike Stewart—AP
Pro-Palestinian activists wave the Palestinian flag during a protest near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.
Pro-Palestinian activists wave the Palestinian flag as they march through Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024. Alex Wong—Getty Images
Capitol Police and demonstrators face off during a pro-Palestinian protest in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.
Police and protesters face off during a pro-Palestinian protest in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.Mike Stewart—AP
Activists burn an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a pro-Palestinian protest near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.
Activists burn an effigy of Netanyahu near the U.S. Capitol on July 24, 2024.Alex Wong—Getty Images
Demonstrators defaced the bell outside Union Station in protest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the U.S. amid Israel's ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza on Capitol Hill on July 24, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Protesters write ‘Free Gaza’ on the Freedom Bell at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.Michael A. McCoy—Getty Images
Police detain a Pro-Palestinian protester at Union Station on July 24, 2024.
Law enforcement officials detain a Pro-Palestinian protester at Union Station on July 24, 2024.Matthew Hatcher—AFP/Getty Images
An effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands out in a crowd of protesters demonstrating on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.
An effigy of Netanyahu stands out in a crowd of protesters demonstrating on Capitol Hill on July 24, 2024.Michael A. McCoy—Getty Images
Hasidic Jews and others protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.
Orthodox Jews stand among protesters near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.Mike Stewart—AP
Demonstrators react after being exposed to a chemical irritant as they protest the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 24, 2024.
Demonstrators react after being exposed to a chemical irritant on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.Jose Luis Magana—AP
U.S. Capitol Police arrest Jewish activists protesting against U.S. military support for Israel inside a congressional building in Washington, DC
U.S. Capitol Police arrest Jewish activists protesting against U.S. military support for Israel inside a congressional building in Washington, DC, on July 23, 2024, a day before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver a speech to the U.S. Congress.Aashish Kiphayet—NurPhoto/Reuters
Activists cheer as they burn flags and a puppet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a pro-Palestinian protest near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.
Activists celebrate as they burn flags and an effigy of Netanyahu during a pro-Palestinian protest on July 24, 2024.Alex Wong—Getty Images
Activists burn a U.S. flag and an Israeli flag during a pro-Palestinian protest near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.
A U.S. flag and Israeli flag are burnt on the ground near the U.S. Capitol on July 24, 2024. Alex Wong—Getty Images

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