Protesters clad in keffiyeh began gathering outside the presidential residence in Washington, D.C., Saturday morning. Their signs called on Presidentto “free Palestine” and “end the siege on Gaza now.” Others stood in a line draped in a two-mile-long red banner around the White House to symbolize the “red line” Israel crossed when they began the operation in Rafah, a southern city in Gaza where many Palestinians have fled to.
Protestors begin to form a “red-line” around the White House, to represent the “red-line” crossed upon Israel’s military offensive in RafahSome protesters threw smoke flares just outside the White House gates. A plume of smoke hung over and above the crowd.. They were allegedly attempting to arrest one of the protesters when the crowd began yelling at them to stop, screaming, “Let her go.” It was not immediately clear what they were attempting to arrest her in connection with.
Reporters on the scene have said the White House is completely surrounded with the red line banner, from corner to corner. Biden is not in the residence; he is in France on a trip to commemorate D-Day. Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate in front of the White House in Washington, Saturday, June 8, 2024.
The protest comes 245 days after Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing over 1,200 Israelis, reigniting the latest conflict between the two. Clashes have largely remained within the Gaza area ever since the surprise attack.Protests like these have a seemingly large influence on the president. Biden’s call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came amid increasing pressure in Michigan to do so.