Speaker Johnson Slams ‘Disgusting’ Absence of Arrests at Anti-Israel Protest Near White House
House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized the lack of arrests following recent protests near the White House, where participants demonstrated against U.S. military aid to Israel and called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war. The protests, described by Johnson during a press conference, involved disturbing behavior including chants supportive of Hezbollah and violent anti-Zionist sentiments. Despite the vandalism at Lafayette Park and similar actions during a New York protest against an exhibit honoring victims of a Hamas attack, no arrests were made by Metro PD, which Johnson highlighted as a failure to address what he characterized as dangerous and reprehensible actions.
On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) assailed the lack of arrests related to the riotous protest over the weekend near the White House urging President Joe Biden to cut military aid to Israel and demanding a ceasefire in the Gaza war against Hamas.
The Louisiana Republican reacted to the demonstration that trashed Lafayette Park, as well as a widely-condemned protest in New York outside of an exhibit memorializing the victims of the deadly Hamas attack on Israel last October, during a press conference.
“Outside a New York memorial for October 7th victims, shamefully, protesters chanted ‘Long live the Intifada,’ and outside the White House, vandals and apparently aspiring Hamas members chanted ‘Hezbollah, Hezbollah!’ and ‘Kill another Zionist now,’” he said.
“Yeah, that happened in Lafayette Park,” Johnson added. “Plain and simple, it’s dangerous behavior and it’s disgusting that the Metro PD didn’t arrest anyone.”
The Secret Service, D.C. police, and U.S. Park Police told The Washington Free Beacon that they did not detain anyone in connection to the D.C. protest. Police said they tried to arrest one person who climbed a statue, but that individual got away as members of the crowd intervened and officers deployed pepper spray, according to NBC News.
A video from reporter Julio Rosas showed police officers being chased out of the park while being followed by some protesters as chants of “You have to leave” morphed into “F*** the police.” Another video appeared to show objects being thrown at a park ranger.
Images of the statues in Lafayette Park being covered in spray paint with messages such as “Free Gaza” have stoked outrage and called for a response from law enforcement.
Fox News reported on Wednesday that the U.S. Park Police is conducting a probe into the rowdy gathering. A National Park Service spokesperson said Park Police investigators are looking to identify “anyone involved in criminal activity that occurred on Saturday.”
The “permitted demonstration resulted in an assault of a park ranger, injuries to two U.S. Park Police officers, and significant damage to the park resources,” the rep said, adding that staff were “undertaking extensive cleanup and repair efforts to address the damage.”
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