President Biden arrived late to his planned State of the Union speech on Thursday after his motorcade was disrupted by a large gathering of raucous anti-Israel protestors.
Demonstrators with Jewish Voice for Peace attempt to block President Biden's motorcade route during a Pro-Palestinian protest near the U.S. Capitol on March 7, 2024. (Kent Nishimura)
Demonstrators blocked traffic by staging a sit-in on Pennsylvania Ave, while they displayed Palestinian flags and signs accusing the President of ‘genocide.’ Many of the participants were dressed in black and had their faces covered with masks.
Scripts News reported that an alternative route to Capitol Hill was ordered by the Secret Service.
In addition to the disruption of vehicular traffic, individuals were seen projecting the message “Permanent Ceasefire Now” on the side of the National Gallery of Art.
The disturbances reportedly continued at a nearby restaurant where a gathering of Republican Congressional staffers was harassed by a group of marchers while they ate dinner.
The protests highlight growing animosity within the Democratic party from left-leaning groups who oppose the Israeli military operations in Gaza. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 56% of Democrats were less likely to support a candidate who backed aid to the Jewish state.
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