White House staff had to be ‘relocated’ after thousands of pro Palestine supporters descended on the building, threatening to breach the security fence and lobbing over bloodied dolls as part of a huge demonstration demanding a ceasefire on Gaza.
Law enforcement defending the People’s House donned riot gear as a baying mob pelted them with dolls and other projectiles.
Video taken at the event on Saturday shows how the metal perimeter was shaken so hard that portions of it were shunted back, forcing secret service operatives to rush to one part to prevent a breach.
The secret service later confirmed that the anti-scale fencing sustained ‘temporary damage’ which was ‘promptly repaired’.
The rally is part of a global day of protests to mark 100 days since the Hamas attack of October 7 which killed 1,200 and saw hundreds more taken hostage.
Thousands of pro Palestine supporters marched on the White House on Saturday demanding a ceasefire on Gaza
The demonstration took place to mark 100 days since Hamas attack of October 7 and the start of retaliatory strikes by Israel
Demonstrators flung bloodied dolls over the White House fence as a symbol of the child victims of the conflict so far
The demonstration at the White House was the second largest pro Palestine rally held in Washington D.C. since the war began
Since then, Israel’s retaliatory bombardment campaign has killed more than 23,8000 people in Gaza, according to the nation’s health ministry.
Tonight’s demonstration is the second largest in support of Gaza held outside the White House in Washington since the war began.
The temporary destruction caused during the rally meant White House staff and journalists had to be evacuated from the area.
‘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 secret service told Fox News.
‘The Secret Service made no arrests associated with the march and there was no property damage to the White House or adjacent buildings.’
Protesters calling for a ceasefire used emotive symbols to get their message across. At one point women in Palestinian dress staged a sit down protest cradling bloodied dolls bound in sheets.
Nearly two-thirds of the 23,843 people killed during the conflict have been women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Demonstrators also carried Palestinian flags and held aloft signs questioning President Joe Biden’s viability as a presidential candidate because of his staunch support for Israel.
Some of the signs read: ‘No votes for Genocide Joe,’ ‘Biden has blood on his hands’ and ‘Let Gaza live.’
At one point the fence was shaken so violently parts of it were shunted back as protesters surged towards the White House, forcing secret security agents to swarm to one part to prevent a breach
The rally took place in tandem with other anti war demonstrations across the world
The protest was organized by the American Muslim Task Force for Palestine and other groups
Vendors were also selling South African flags as protesters chanted slogans in support of the country whose accusations of genocide against Israel prompted the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands, to take up the case.
Dan Devries, a New York resident said he attended the protest because he wants to see a free Gaza, but that he wouldn’t vote for either Biden or possible Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
‘I see this war as part of the U.S.’s drive to offset its economic decline by engaging in continual war,’ said Devries.
Washington resident Phil Kline held up a sign calling for Pope Francis to excommunicate Biden.
‘I know he´s a devout Catholic. Maybe he will take this issue seriously when the pope removes him from the church. There´s no justification for bombing civilians,’ Kline said, though he added he still intends to vote for Biden in the November elections.
The rally was organized by the American Muslim Task Force for Palestine and other groups.
It took place in tandem with demonstrations in London, Paris, Rome, Dublin, Johannesburg and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
Family members of Palestinians killed in the conflict grief-ridden stories with thousands of protesters who gathered in downtown Washington.
The rally came a day after the US launched a second round of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen
The event featured emotional testimony from people whose relatives have been killed by Israel during the conflict
Biden has long expressed his support for Israel but confirmed he has been working with the Israeli government to persuade them to reduce their attacks on Gaza
Adam Abosherieah, one of the speakers, said over 100 family members, including his 83-year-old father, mother, and brother, have been killed in Israeli air strikes.
‘Dozens of my family members’ bodies are still under the rubble,’ Abosherieah, a pharmacist from New Jersey, said. ‘President Biden can easily put a stop to this genocide … He can easily pick up the phone and call Israel to stop this madness.’
The rally came a day after the US launched a second round of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, action which also drew protests in New York and Seattle.
The blitz was in response to months of attacks by the Houthis on ships in the Red Sea, which they claimed were aimed at ending Israel’s siege on Gaza.
However, the vessels targeted by the Iranian-backed rebels had become increasingly random and they were warned to expect consequences if they did not stop their attacks.
Though long a fervent supporter of Israel, Biden has expressed concern over civilian deaths as the war has gone on.
He previously described Israel’s bombing campaign as ‘indiscriminate,’ and said on Monday he had been working ‘quietly’ with the Israeli government to encourage it to reduce its attacks and ‘significantly get out of Gaza.’