Vice President Harris on Thursday strongly condemned the protests in front of Union Station in Washington, D.C., during a speech to Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling the display “despicable acts by unpatriotic protesters.”
“I condemn any individuals who associate with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has promised to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews,” Harris said in a statement. “Graffiti and pro-Hamas rhetoric are abhorrent and we must not tolerate them in our nation.”
“I condemn the burning of the American flag. This flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in this way,” he added.
Harris – whose husband is Jewish – said she supports peaceful protests but rejects anti-Semitism, which has risen sharply in the US since last October’s terrorist attacks in Israel.
The blunt statement comes as the vice president has emerged as the presumptive Democratic nominee for November, after President Biden ended his candidacy and endorsed her to take his place at the top of the ticket. Harris is scheduled to meet Thursday afternoon with Netanyahu in a one-on-one meeting.
The Israeli leader will also meet separately with Biden and former President Trump, the Republican Party’s candidate for the White House.
Protesters removed an American flag and replaced it with a Palestinian flag on Wednesday in protest against the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. At one point, protesters also burned the US flag before someone ran into the crowd and ripped it from the ground.
Inside the Capitol, Netanyahu used part of his nearly hour-long speech to denounce protesters outside and on college campuses earlier this year, accusing his critics of standing “with evil” and saying they should be “ashamed of themselves.”
Both Republicans and Democrats condemned the anti-Israel demonstrations in Washington, while Netanyahu spoke about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. A group of House Republicans restored U.S. flags around Union Station, and Trump used the incident to renew his push for prison sentences for those who desecrate American flags.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
