Anti-Israel protesters in Washington, D.C. attempted to block President Joe Biden’s motorcade as he made his way to deliver his State of the Union address Thursday night.
No arrests were announced in the nation’s capital as a result of the protesters who gathered to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. However, reports indicate that a concurrent protest in Boston led to the arrest of about 50 people, reported the Boston Herald. The arrests happened during a protest in which a group of people attempted to block a major downtown street.
“I want everyone to know that the Boston Police has given us a warning,” a protester was reported to have said before the arrests. “Five minutes before they make arrests. I want everyone to know that so you can make a decision about what feels right to you. If you don’t want to risk getting arrested, please move to the sidewalk in the next five minutes. Otherwise, we are going to continue standing here until there is a ceasefire and until Palestine is free.”
The Boston police reported that most of the approximately 200 protesters did vacate the street, but a small group chose not to and were arrested. Protests also took place in Los Angeles but did not lead to arrests.
Several lawmakers symbolically registered their disapproval of Israel’s military operations in Gaza by wearing black and white keffiyehs, the traditional scarves worn by Palestinians, according to a post on X by TRT World Now. Members of the so-called “Squad” have said they would not commit to voting for Biden unless he steps up his efforts to end the Israeli attacks.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) was reported to have voted “uncommitted” in her state’s primary in protest of Biden’s policies pertaining to the Israel-Hamas conflict, reported Axios. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) was said to have skipped her state’s primary in a similar protest.
The only arrest reported at the State of the Union address was the father of a soldier who was killed during the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Steve Nikoui, a guest of Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), was arrested after chanting “Abbey Gate” during Biden’s speech. The comment was a reference to a surprise Taliban attack during the withdrawal that killed 13 American soldiers, including Nikoui’s son, as reported by Fox News.
Nikoui’s protest was captured on live television. He could be seen being escorted out by security. He was later arrested and is being charged with crowding, obstructing, or incommoding, reported The Hill.
