At a “red line” demonstration on Saturday, thousands of demonstrators protesting the Gaza War demonstrated their displeasure with US President Joe Biden for allegedly tolerating Israel’s brutal military campaign against Hamas.
The protesters held a lengthy banner with the names of Palestinians slain by Israeli forces, chanting, “From DC to Palestine, we are the red line,” as the fighting moves into its ninth month.
Biden has come under fire for trying to strike a balance with Israel, a crucial ally in the war.
In response to questions about a possible invasion of the southern Gazan city, Biden appeared to have established a “red line” that the White House stated in May did not extend to the deadly Israeli strike on Rafah.
“I no longer believe any of the words that Joe Biden says,” said protester 25-year-old Zaid Mahdawi from Virginia, whose parents are Palestinian. “This ‘red line’ in his rhetoric is rubbish… it shows his hypocrisy and his cowardice,” Mahdawi told AFP.
“I think we all hope it’s going to stop soon, but clearly our president is not living up to the words he is speaking to our country,” said 25-year-old Tala McKinney, a nursing assistant. It is ludicrous.”
Nearly all of the demonstrators wore red attire. They carried Palestinian flags and placards that said, “Biden’s red line was a lie” and “Bombing children is not self-defense.”
Prior to the protest, which saw charter buses bring in attendees from as far afield as Maine and Florida, the White House increased security with the installation of an additional anti-scale perimeter fence.
Five months before he faces Republican nominee Donald Trump in the election, Biden is under pressure to hold onto young and Muslim voters, two demographic groups that are thought to be essential to his reelection campaign.
“It’s very disappointing to have a president who doesn’t follow through with their word… I will be voting for a third party,” said McKinney.
