- The Washington Times - Sunday, June 9, 2024

Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican, urged the Biden administration to crack down on the pro-Palestinian protesters who vandalized statues and threw objects at a park ranger during Saturday’s protest near the White House.

Protesters at the Answer Coalition’s “Stop the Genocide in Gaza” demonstration spray-painted anti-Israel and anti-Biden messages on statues at Lafayette Park, then pelted and shouted “f—- you, fascist” at a park ranger standing guard.

Among those disgusted at the conduct was Mr. Cotton, who challenged the Biden administration to enforce federal law by bringing charges against the vandals.

“At every turn, Joe Biden has tried to limit Israel’s freedom of action, their ability to defend themselves and to put more pressure on Israel, not pressure on Hamas and its patrons in the Middle East,” Mr. Cotton said on “Fox News Sunday.” “Just look at what happened yesterday outside the White House.”

“You had anti-American pro-Hamas lunatics defacing and desecrating the statues of our great veterans, which is a plain violation of federal law,” he said. “But Joe Biden’s government allowed it to happen, and I bet we’re not going to see any arrests or prosecutions for violating that law.”

It was unclear whether any protesters were cited for vandalism. The Washington Times has reached out to the National Park Service for comment.

The protest marking the “54th anniversary of the occupation of Gaza” drew thousands of protesters, according to local news estimates. The National Park Service permit estimated a maximum of 9,000 attendees.

The event included a rally with speakers and a march around the White House with a red banner to represent Mr. Biden’s “red line” on Israeli military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Protesters chanted slogans including “intifada revolution” and “We don’t want no two-state/We want ‘48,” referring to the State of Israel’s founding in 1948. Some activists also issued explicit calls for violence with chants such as “Hezbollah, Hezbollah/Kill another Zionist now,” as shown on video posted on X.

One protester was shown holding up a mask of Mr. Biden with fake blood on it. Some activists were shown waving and throwing smoke flares outside the White House, which was protected by additional security measures, including an anti-scale fence.

“I’ll introduce legislation this week that imposes stiffer penalties so we can lock these lunatics up, but Joe Biden thinks that these pro-Hamas, anti-American lunatics should be guiding American policy towards Israel,” Mr. Cotton said.

Hundreds attended a concurrent anti-Israel march Saturday in Los Angeles, part of a wave of pro-Palestinian protest activity triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of 1,200 Israeli civilians and others.

Two of the statues defaced by protesters at Lafayette Park were those of the Marquis de Lafayette and Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau, both heroes of the American Revolutionary War.

A National Park Service spokesperson told The Washington Times that the U.S. Park Police “did not make any arrests or issue citations” at Saturday’s protest, even though two officers were injured.
“Unfortunately, yesterday’s 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,” said the spokesperson. “Staff are beginning to assess the damage.”

• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.

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