Top Democrats denounce Union Station protest: ‘Not acceptable under any circumstance’

Top Democrats denounced a pro-Palestinian protest around Washington's Union Station that resulted in several arrests, burnt flags, and an outpouring of rage at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting Congress.

On Wednesday, pro-Palestinian protests broke out across the capital in response to Netanyahu's speech to Congress. The most visible of these occurred around Union Station, culminating in the tearing down of three American flags and the burning of at least one. The general pandemonium was met with bipartisan condemnation, with Democratic leaders joining on Thursday.

Vice President Kamala Harris said the "unpatriotic" protesters carried out "despicable acts" and spouted "dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric."

"I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews. Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent, and we must not tolerate it in our nation," she said, adding a condemnation of antisemitism and the desecrating of the American flag.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) joined the condemnations on Thursday.

"Defacing public property, desecrating the American flag, threatening Jews with violence, and promoting terrorist groups like Hamas is not acceptable under any circumstance," Jeffries said in a statement. "There is a difference between lawful expression and disorderly conduct. Anyone who violates the law must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

Biden's deputy press secretary, Andrew Bates, issued a similar condemnation.

"Identifying with evil terrorist organizations like Hamas, burning the American flag, or forcibly removing the American flag and replacing it with another, is disgraceful," he said. "Every American has the right to peaceful protest. But shamefully, not everyone demonstrated peacefulness today."

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Shortly after the protest began on Wednesday, the United States Park Police announced that some in the crowd were engaging in "criminal activity," adding that they were trying to contact event organizers to de-escalate the situation. Members of the public were advised to avoid the area.

The protest permit was soon after revoked , and everyone was ordered to leave the area. Pepper spray and other riot gear were deployed to clear the area.