Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters massed in Washington, DC, Saturday afternoon before descending upon the White House to chant, “Allahu akbar” and “F–k Joe Biden” as they accused the president of genocide and demanded a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” the crowd dotted with Palestinian flags and signs cried at the start of the event, which drew attendees from across the country.
The chant – which is growing increasingly popular in the wake of Hamas’ deadly incursion into southern Israel last month and Israel’s subsequent retaliatory attacks on Gaza – is widely considered antisemitic because it implies the elimination of the State of Israel and its people.
According to NYP, Others chanted, “Long live the Intifada,” an Arabic word used to refer to Palestinian uprising, specifically to conflicts that ran from 1987 and 1993 and from 2000 to about 2005 that left thousands dead.
Unofficial reports estimate 300,000 showed up to the protest, but DC Police could not confirm, telling The Post it does not estimate crowd size.
One man was arrested for destruction of property around 5:30 p.m., according to DC cops. It is unclear what he was destroying.
As the protesters began marching down the roadways of DC, many stopped outside the White House to yell for Biden to call for a ceasefire. It is unclear if Biden was there.
Around 7:30 p.m., protesters were smearing red paint on the gates of the White House and chanting: “Allahu akbar,” “F–k Joe Biden,” a Post reporter observed.
DC Police have been circling the White House via helicopter, according to an X user. The tens of thousands of protesters — including rapper Macklemore — could be seen for miles as their roarous chants filled the streets since around 1 p.m.
Earlier in the day, an Israeli supporter — who was seen walking the streets with the country’s flag around his shoulders — was politely escorted away by police, according to the X poster.
While the protest took shape in the nation’s capital, more than 1,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked traffic in Manhattan’s Herald Square, demanding a ceasefire, before the throng moved east to the United Nations, where the crowd swelled to 2,000, police sources told The Post.
There were no incidents or arrests before the crowd dispersed without incident or arrests around 7:30 p.m., the sources said.
Other protests around the world have broken out as well, including in London where at least 11 people were arrested by Metropolitan Police for various things, including holding signs threatening to burn down the House of Parliament.
