Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered around the White House on the 8th, urging President Biden to stop all military aid to Israel and calling on Israel to cease fire immediately.
According to English media reports, most of the protesters were wearing red clothes, holding Palestinian flags, and carrying signs that read "Biden is a liar" and marching near the park around the White House. They crossed two six-lane boulevards and drove away nearby tourists. However, there were also a large number of police officers maintaining order on the scene, and at least one pepper spray was used on the protesters.
Biden was not in the White House when the protesters gathered, but in France. Pro-Palestinian activists outside the White House have been highly critical of the Biden administration's response to the Gaza conflict, while encouraging young people and non-white voters to reconsider their support for Biden before the general election this fall.
"I can't confidently vote for Biden," said Nas Issa, a spokeswoman for the Palestinian Youth Movement, which organized the protest on the 8th. She added that if Biden "does not change his position and hold Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and the entire Israeli government accountable, how can people with conscience accept voting for him?"
Some protesters formed a circle along the mile-long perimeter of the White House on the 8th, unrolling consecutive sections of red paper with the names of more than 36,000 Palestinians who died in the war. This form is intended to evoke a red line, and if the Israeli military crosses this red line, Biden will refuse to ship weapons to Israel.
But Biden and his administration said that the recent attack in the Gaza city of Rafah that killed dozens of Palestinians did not amount to Israel crossing the red line. White House spokesman John F. Kirby said the United States needs to see "a major ground operation" - not an airstrike - to increase pressure on Israel. In response, the protesters said: "Biden's red line is a lie!"
The protesters said their biggest demand is to freeze all weapons shipments to Israel until the war stops. However, the United States has pledged to provide Israel with $38 billion in military aid over 10 years.
Law enforcement agencies said tens of thousands of people participated in the march around the White House, but no one was arrested.
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