The 8th of June was a horrific day in Gaza, as an IOF raid that retrieved only four hostages killed at least 210 Palestinians and wounded over 400 more. Many were seen with limbs blown off by Israel’s bombs.
On this same day, tens of thousands (possibly 100,000) furious protesters descended on Washington DC for a protest organized just weeks earlier to pressure Biden’s administration to half the flow of deadly weapons to Netanyahu’s murderous regime in Israel.
The huge “We are your red line” protest in DC got off to a strong start as cops attempted to arrest someone, only to be defeated by determined opposition and a sucessful unarrest. Cops fired pepper spray into the crowd, hitting even journalists such as Ford Fischer but were not successful in holding on to their hostage. Instead, the cops withdrew from the crowd in defeat and humiliation.
At its height, the protest stretched all the way around the White House, using a massive “red line” that was between a ribbon and a banner to lampoon Biden’s failed “red line” remarks on Gaza. Gaps in the banner ensured protesters could get in and out, but the crowd controlled the entire ring.This had the effect of placing the White House under siege.
While this was going on, a “No Pride in Genocide” contingent blocked the DC Capitol Pride parade’s lead elements. This was to protest the presence in the parade and among its sponsors of arms merchants selling guns and bombs to Israel.
After the Red Line protest came the People’s Court of Justice, in which Israel was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity. After that came an attempt to set up a student encampment for Gaza on the ellipse. The initial police response was driven off by a determined crowd counter-advancing on them. Cops later blocked all entrances, putting the encampment under siege, with exit allowed but nobody able to return. Seening the danger, protesters marched out and returned to Penn Ave in front of the White House
As night fell, protesters banged the fence and someone burned what almost surely was an Israeli flag.