Quick Hit:
Pro-Hamas, Palestinian protesters clashed with police in Washington, D.C. Wednesday, tearing down and burning American flags outside Union Station after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress.
Key Details:
Demonstrators burned American flags near Union Station, despite police efforts to secure the flags. Protesters later hoisted Palestinian flags in their place.
Protesters defaced monuments with pro-Palestinian slogans, set effigies of Netanyahu ablaze, and chanted anti-American slogans.
Tensions escalated when a man attempted to save a burning American flag, resulting in him being pursued by the crowd.
Diving Deeper:
According to a report by the New York Post, pro-Hamas, Palestinian demonstrators targeted American flags outside Union Station in Washington, D.C., after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a joint session of Congress. The protesters were temporarily held back by police, who managed to secure the flags. However, once the police withdrew, protesters replaced the American flags with Palestinian ones, throwing the American flags on the ground and setting them on fire.
The protests took place just blocks away from the U.S. Capitol, where Netanyahu delivered his address. The demonstrators shouted familiar chants like "Free Palestine" and defaced monuments with "Free Gaza" graffiti while climbing on them and waving Palestinian flags. They also burned an effigy of Netanyahu and jeered at the police officers present. One protester was recorded taunting the officers, saying, "You guys are men, don't act like a woman."
In a dramatic moment, a man ran into the flames to rescue a charred American flag but was chased by the crowd, which shouted, "Get him!" and what sounded like "Get the white guy!"
During another instance of flag burning, protesters were heard shouting "Allahu Akbar" and "F**k the United States" while spraying lighter fluid on the flag.