In response to the protests at Union Station, where anti-Israel activists defaced federal property during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, a Park Police union is defending itself from accusations about the low number of arrests made.
On Tuesday, thousands of pro-Hamas demonstrators gathered in Washington, D.C., at one point vandalizing federal monuments with slogans supporting the terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 attacks in Israel, exclaiming, “Hamas is coming.”
During the protests, 23 individuals were taken into custody; however, critics argue that this figure should have been significantly greater.
Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., shared on X, “How long will we continue to let leftist degenerates who support terrorism and despise America vandalize property and assault police? There ought to have been hundreds of arrests in D.C., not merely 23.”
HOUSE REPUBLICANS REPLACE AMERICAN FLAGS AT UNION STATION FOLLOWING ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS
The Columbus Memorial Fountain at Union Station during an anti-Israel protest coinciding with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on July 24, 2024. (Reuters/Seth Herald)
However, the U.S. Park Police Labor Committee is rebutting these claims.
“Our officers on the ground did everything within their capacity to protect life and property. In fact, with only 29 officers at our disposal to manage the situation — just 29! — and without further assistance from the Department of the Interior, we processed several arrests for offenses ranging from assaulting a police officer to destruction of government property,” stated Kenneth Spencer, chairman of the United States Park Police Fraternal Order of Police.
“Thus, it’s truly disheartening to hear certain members of Congress and media personnel, many of whom label themselves as ‘champions’ of law enforcement, suggest that our officers gave protesters a ‘pass’ or that there were too few arrests made.”
“Such assertions couldn’t be further from reality. Those who genuinely wish to understand the issue will recognize that our officer staffing crisis lies at the heart of our agency’s mission readiness. A small unit of 29 officers arrested 10 individuals while being besieged by a mob of thousands. We simply lacked the personnel and resources needed for a widespread arrest operation.”
SEE IT: THE MOST DRAMATIC PHOTOS FROM WEDNESDAY’S PRO-HAMAS WASHINGTON, D.C. PROTESTS
An anti-Israel demonstrator sprays graffiti on the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain at Union Station on the day of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on July 24, 2024. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)
At least one protester, with a covered face, was observed by Fox News carrying what appeared to be a flag of the Hamas terrorist group, while other participants were heard shouting “Allahu Akbar.”
KAMALA HARRIS RESPONDS TO ANTI-ISRAEL RIOTS AT DC’S UNION STATION
Protesters burned an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside Union Station on the day of his address to Congress on July 24, 2024. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)
The White House condemned the disturbance on Wednesday evening, calling the events “disgraceful.”
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“Identifying with nefarious terrorist organizations like Hamas, setting fire to the American flag, or forcibly taking down the American flag only to replace it with another is disgraceful,” stated White House spokesperson Andrew Bates in a statement to Fox News Digital.
