Photo: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally outside the White House/Mandel NGAN/AFP
Thousands of anti-Gaza war protesters rallied outside the White House on Saturday, June 8, expressing anger over what they say , US President Joe Biden is too tolerant of Israel's bloody military campaign against Hamas.
Chanting "From Washington to Palestine, we– “red line,” demonstrators held a long banner with the names of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces during the eight-month conflict, Agence France-Presse reports.
The US president is under fire from people who believe he is not doing enough to influence the Israeli government.
In May, the White House said Israel's deadly strike on Rafah did not cross the “red line” that Biden had mentioned two months earlier.
"I no longer believe any of the words that says Joe Biden, said Zaid Mahdavi, 25, of Virginia, whose parents are Palestinian. – This ‘red line’ his rhetoric is nonsense… It shows his hypocrisy and cowardice,”– Mahdavi said in an interview with AFP.
Nurse's assistant Tala McKinney, 25, said: “We all hope this will stop soon, but it's clear our president is not living up to the words he speaks to our country. This is outrageous.”
Demonstrators – almost everyone is in red clothes – held Palestinian flags and signs reading "Biden's Red Line– lie” and “Bombing children is not self-defense.”
Ahead of the demonstration, which was attended by buses from as far away as Maine and Florida, the White House beefed up security by installing additional perimeter fencing.
Five months into the election battle with Republican candidate Donald Trump, Biden is faced with the need to retain Muslim voters believed to be critical to his re-election.
"It's a shame to have a president who doesn’t keep his word,”– says Tala McKinney. According to her, in November she will not vote for either Donald Trump or Joe Biden, but will prefer a third candidate.
Prepared by: Sergey Daga