On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress amidst turbulent scenes. Outside and inside the Capitol Building, protests supporting Hamas led to several arrests. Vandals clashed with law enforcement near the Capitol before moving toward Union Station, the main train hub in Washington, DC.
There, the pro-terror protesters defaced monuments, scaled flagpoles, and replaced American flags with Palestinian flags. One American flag was burned beneath an effigy of Netanyahu. The rioters also spray-painted pro-Hamas messages, such as "Hamas is coming," on several statues outside the station.
Outside the train station, U.S. Capitol Police arrested at least eight individuals for failure to disperse following reports of property damage, including vandalized statues and fountains, torn-down and burned flags, and multiple small fires.
Normal, healthy first world country we’ve got here pic.twitter.com/wCre2wigqq
— Kevin McMahon (@Kevin__McMahon) July 24, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris, who supports fundraising efforts to bail out criminals, including the 2020 fiery "Summer of Love" rioters, notably changed her stance on Thursday. Although Harris didn't attend Netanyahu's speech — instead speaking to members of a black sorority in Indiana — she did condemn the vandals' acts of destruction and their support of the terrorist group Hamas.
In a statement, Harris wrote:
Yesterday, at Union Station in Washington, D.C. we saw despicable acts by unpatriotic protestors and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric.
I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews. 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.
I support the right to peacefully protest, but let’s be clear: Antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation.
Read my full statement on the protests in Washington, D.C. yesterday. pic.twitter.com/zJpZvdQDt9
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 25, 2024
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Interestingly, Harris' campaign for the presidency has launched a digital strategy to connect with Generation Z by adopting pop-culture references. The progressive ideology of many young Hollywood stars and their chronically online fan bases have consistently spread pro-Palestinian messages. Harris may be seen as playing both sides of the conflict in Gaza, noting she "skipped" the Israeli PM's speech just one day before condemning the destruction of monuments, the US flag, and support of Hamas.
Earlier this month, Harris expressed sympathy for the protesters who created anti-Israel encampments on college campuses across the country. The VP told a left-wing magazine, The Nation, that the Gen Z campus squatters are:
...showing exactly what the human emotion should be.
Notably, President Joe Biden has not released a statement condemning the illegal acts or pro-terrorist rhetoric at the time of writing.
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