A pro-Palestinian protester stormed the stage as DC Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke at an arts festival in the nation’s capital on Friday morning.
Bowser was at the podium to announce the start of Aromatic’s weekend community art exhibit on M Street when video showed two demonstrators charging the stage. One woman made it onto the stage with a “DC 4 CEASEFIRE” sign before being removed by security.
“Oh, here we go. Thanks. Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Bowser said as the woman charged him.
The protester was getting close to Bowser’s microphone when he was stopped by security. He can be heard shouting, “DC artists against apartheid” as he is led away, video obtained by FOX 5 DC shows.
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A pro-Palestinian protester storms the stage as Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks at an art festival on March 8, 2024. (FOX 5 DC)
Bowser remained at the podium as security removed the woman before exiting. He returned to the stage a few minutes later. He did not mention the incident when he returned to speak, according to FOX 5 DC.
No injuries were reported. It was unclear how many protesters attended the event.
The night before, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the halls of Congress in an apparent attempt to disrupt President Biden’s State of the Union address.
About 100 protesters showed up at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 3rd Street in Washington, DC, on Thursday night, about an hour before Biden was scheduled to give his speech.
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Security personnel escort a protester off the stage after he runs into DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on March 8, 2024. (FOX 5 DC)
Protesters can be seen holding signs that read, “Biden’s legacy is genocide.”
Photos from the scene showed protesters, many of them wearing face masks, blocking the street.
Fox 5 DC reported earlier in the day another pro-Palestine protest took place nearby in Lafayette Square around 6 pm ET.
Police said one person was arrested and charged with reckless driving.
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Demonstrators with Jewish Voice for Peace attempt to block the route of President Joe Biden’s motorcade during a Pro-Palestinian protest near the US Capitol on March 07, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
The protests in DC highlight growing discontent on the left with how Biden is handling the Israel-Hamas war. Activists have demanded that the US stop sending military aid to Israel as civilian casualties in Gaza mount.
recently Fox News poll showed that support for the Palestinians among Democrats has increased by 17 points since October.
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That shift among Democrats leads to a greater party split today (43% who sided with the Israelis vs. 42% who sided with the Palestinians) than in October (59% vs. 25%).
The pro-Palestinian sentiment on the left comes five months after Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 captives back to Gaza as hostages. Israel attacked Gaza in retaliation and led a bombing campaign targeting Hamas infrastructure with the ultimate goal of wiping out the terrorist group. Thousands of Palestinian civilians were caught in the crossfire.
Andrew Mark Miller of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
