House Republicans replace American flags at Union Station after anti-Israel protests
Speaker Mike Johnson denounced the protesters as 'terrorists'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}House Republicans visited Union Station late Wednesday night and replaced the American flags anti-Israel protesters had burned and replaced with Palestinian flags earlier in the day.
House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke with the press as the American flags were being put back up. The anti-Israel protesters descended on the nation's capital as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an address before Congress.
At Union Station, protesters removed all three American flags flying outside the historic metro transit hub. They flew Palestinian flags in their place and burned at least one of the American flags that were taken down. Protesters also covered nearby monuments in grafitti.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We recognize that they flew Palestinian flags on these poles. It is outrageous," Johnson said. "They were pulled down thankfully."
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House Republicans visited Union Station late Wednesday night and replaced the American flags anti-Israel protesters had burned and replaced with Palestinian flags earlier in the day. (@RichieMcGinniss via X)
Footage shows members of Congress running American flags back up all three poles with assistance from police.
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Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also condemned the protests in a statement 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.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," Jeffries wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed Jeffries in his own statement.
"Grave concern for the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza cannot justify defacing federal property with Hamas slogans. Passionate differences are grounds for fierce debate and meaningful protest, not intimidation and certainly not support for terrorism," Buttigieg wrote.
A man who walked by the protest and remarked that he was Jewish and was offended by the language was then chased down the street, yelled at and called "Hitler" by agitators. He and a woman were later let inside a building to get away from the protesters. When a Fox News reporter asked why they followed the man, one said it was because he was White and Jewish.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pro-Palestinian protesters burn a U.S. flag at Union Station on July 24, 2024, during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, D.C. (Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images)
Earlier in the day, hundreds of protesters had gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue and 3rd Street, outside the Gallery of Art. The protest organizers included Answer Coalition and Code Pink. There were numerous speakers from various organizations, including one from the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
Johnson denounced the protesters as "terrorists" in a statement on social media.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. Capitol Hill Police claimed the Union Station flags were out of their jurisdiction and were therefore unprotected.
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"No flags under our protection have been removed or vandalized. Our officers will enforce the law if anyone attempts to remove a flag in USCP jurisdiction. To clear up inaccurate reporting," they said in a statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Meghan Tome and the Associated Press contributed to this report.