Biden NPS cited anti-Israel group with lack of disclosure before violent protest, permit shows

EXCLUSIVE — One day before anti-Israel protesters caused mayhem in Washington, D.C., burning an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he spoke to Congress, scrawling graffiti across federal property, and burning American flags, the National Park Service granted the organizing group a public gathering permit. The Washington Examiner obtained a copy of that permit in full from a Biden administration source — providing a key window into the planning of the rally and the ways in which demonstrators skirted federal rules.

The permit, a redacted version of which can be read at this link, was given to the ANSWER Coalition, a group that coordinated with other pro-Palestinian activist hubs on the planning and execution of the protest. Dozens of protesters were arrested following clashes with police, though at least 11 of them had their misdemeanor charges dropped by Thursday evening, the Washington Examiner reported.

But even before the protest began, the Interior Department’s National Park Service was aware of problems with ANSWER’s level of disclosure about its activities, documents reveal.

The NPS said in the permit documents that ANSWER “refused to provide specific locations for onsite contacts.” ANSWER is a project of a charity in San Francisco called Progress Unity Fund, according to tax records.

The Washington Examiner reached out for comment to both NPS and ANSWER.

In the permit, the ANSWER Coalition described how it would be protesting in various areas in the nation’s capital, including John Marshall Park and Columbus Plaza. At 3:37 p.m. on Wednesday, after many hours of protests in the streets, the NPS said the permit for Columbus Plaza had been revoked.

Minutes later, a man wearing a red shirt was captured on social media graffitiing the phrase “Hamas is coming” on a historic fountain in the plaza honoring Christopher Columbus.

The Wednesday protest, according to the permit, was slated for between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. that day. Activists continued to demonstrate after 4 p.m. in the district as part of the rally, which ANSWER said on the permit application was to “stop the genocide in Gaza.” The protest was called “Arrest Netanyahu! Surround Congress July 24 with the People’s Red Line for Palestine,” according to ANSWER’s website.

“These events were utterly predictable, as similar recent protests had also resulted in vandalism of federal property and assaults on Park Police, and the organization seeking the permit apparently did not even comply with its requirements before it was issued,” said Michael Chamberlain, director of Protect the Public’s Trust, a watchdog group investigating the Biden administration.

The permit said ANSWER, per federal rules, was prohibited from climbing, removing, or injuring “any statue seat, wall, fountain, light poles, elevator towers, or other erection or architectural feature, or any tree, shrub, or landscaping feature” in protest areas.

The document also cited 36 CFR Section 7.96, a regulation holding that “the alteration, damage, or removal of park resources or facilities is prohibited.” On Thursday, NPS staffers began to power-wash the Christopher Columbus statue and fountain that were vandalized outside Union Station.

The NPS is already facing scrutiny for its handling of the Wednesday protest. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) sent a letter this week to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland slamming the agency for being “understaffed.” Westerman said the Interior Department denied the U.S. Park Police’s requests for more manpower before the protest.

The permit listed ANSWER’s point of contact as Brian Becker, ANSWER’s director and “a central organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation,” according to Liberation News.

READ THE PERMIT HERE