--- title: Photos of the 'Violent' Anti-Netanyahu Protests in D.C. description: Some pro-Palestinian activists were arrested after clashes with police, as thousands demonstrated against Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. canonical: https://time.com/7003081/photos-netanyahu-washington-dc-protests-demonstrations-police-clashes-arrests-capitol/ author: Chad de Guzman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-07-25T05:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-01-19T08:58:41.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Pro-Palestinian Protesters Burn American Flags and Deface Monuments in D.C. og:description: Some pro-Palestinian activists were arrested after clashes with police, as thousands demonstrated against Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. og:url: https://time.com/7003081/photos-netanyahu-washington-dc-protests-demonstrations-police-clashes-arrests-capitol/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69e07abc3b17a969/698a592bb3fce31ca50cd67f/dc_netanyahu_protests_clashes_brick-street-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Pro-Palestinian protesters clash with U.S. Capitol Park Police og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Pro-Palestinian Protesters Burn American Flags and Deface Monuments in D.C. twitter:description: Some pro-Palestinian activists were arrested after clashes with police, as thousands demonstrated against Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69e07abc3b17a969/698a592bb3fce31ca50cd67f/dc_netanyahu_protests_clashes_brick-street-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- # Pro-Palestinian Protesters Burn American Flags and Deface Monuments Amid Clashes With Police in D.C. > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Netanyahu’s Visit Sparks Wave of Protests in D.C. [Watch (HLS stream): Netanyahu’s Visit Sparks Wave of Protests in D.C.](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yx23lyWr.m3u8) (1:47)  _Published 2024-07-24. Hundreds of protesters rallied Wednesday within sight of the Capitol building, denouncing Israel's war in Gaza and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hours before he was set to address members of Congress._ Updated: Jan 19, 2026 8:58 AM UTCPublished: Jul 25, 2024 5:00 AM UTC  Pro-Palestinian protesters and police clash at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024. Pro-Palestinian protesters and police clash at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024. Matthew Hatcher—AFP/Getty Images by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/), [Koh Ewe](https://time.com/author/koh-ewe/) and [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/) Updated: Jan 19, 2026 8:58 AM UTCPublished: Jul 25, 2024 5:00 AM UTC Thousands of protesters opposing the Israel-Hamas war descended on Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to condemn Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s [address to Congress](https://time.com/7003040/netanyahu-speech-congress/). With chants of “Free, free Palestine,” they marched toward the Capitol before some clashed with police and were pepper-sprayed. Pro-Palestinian activists, who promised a “[day of rage](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c978m115eg8o)” ahead of Netanyahu’s visit, filled the streets of the nation’s capital, many carrying Palestinian flags and signs calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel and to “arrest Netanyahu.” While most demonstrators were peaceful, some clashes broke out at times between demonstrators and law enforcement, which deployed pepper spray as parts of the crowd became “[violent](https://x.com/CapitolPolice/status/1816169260172878089)” and pushed up against police lines. At least 23 people were [arrested](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/07/24/dc-protest-netanyahu-visit-israel-gaza-war/), including six inside the House Gallery. Outside the fenced-off Capitol, the scene was most tense at Washington’s Union Station as pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas demonstrators removed American flags and hoisted Palestinian ones in their place. At one point, an American flag was set on fire alongside an effigy of Netanyahu, prompting cheers from the crowd. “Netanyahu, you can’t hide. You’re committing genocide,” protesters shouted. Protesters also spray painted graffiti on a monument to Christopher Columbus and an adjacent Liberty Bell replica, including the words “Hamas is coming” and "All Zionists are bastards." Police responded with what [appeared to be chemical irritants](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU9BM5ffGlU), attempting to disperse the crowd amid escalating tensions throughout the day. Netanyahu directly addressed the demonstrators outside the Capitol during his speech, which some members of Congress did not attend out of protest. “Many choose to stand with evil. They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers,” he said. “They should be ashamed of themselves.” Netanyahu has become one of the world’s most controversial political figures in his pursuit of Israel’s [deadly](https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240711-more-than-186-000-dead-in-gaza-how-credible-are-the-estimates-published-on-the-lancet) military campaign in the Gaza Strip following attacks on Oct. 7 by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which was the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust. [More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-death-toll-how-many-palestinians-has-israels-campaign-killed-2024-07-25/#:~:text=July%2025%20%28Reuters%29%20%2D%20Palestinian,the%20border%20into%20Israeli%20communities.) since the war began nine months ago, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. During his nearly 52-minute address, Netanyahu did not mention the status of cease-fire negotiations with Hamas, despite intense international pressure to reach a deal. As he defended Israel’s offensive against Hamas, demonstrators a couple blocks away carried signs denouncing his visit and calling for an end to what they perceive as unwavering American support for Israeli military actions. “We need to be out here. We need to say, ‘Not in our name’,” Irene Ippolito, a protester, is quoted as telling [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/24/as-us-congress-cheered-for-netanyahu-protesters-gathered-to-denounce-him). “As American citizens, we have to realize that this could not be taking place without our taxpayer dollars sending tons of weapons to Israel as it slaughters men, women and children in Gaza.” Police blocked demonstrators from getting close to the Capitol where Netanyahu was speaking. But some demonstrators attempted to block traffic and disrupt Netanyahu's motorcade route, chanting messages such as: "Not another nickel, not another dime. No more money for Israel's crimes." Protesters blocking traffic were turned away by officers. A couple of days before Netanyahu’s address, dozens of protesters rallied outside his Washington hotel, holding a “noise demonstration” and [reportedly](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/07/24/watergate-hotel-protest-maggots-netanyahu-visit/) dropping swarms of crickets and mealworms throughout the hotel. On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of demonstrators staged a flash mob-style protest inside the Cannon House Office Building, sitting on the floor and chanting “Let Gaza Live!” Capitol Police [said it arrested about 200 people](https://x.com/CapitolPolice/status/1815912962835767648) on charges related to the sit-in. Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, denounced the violence at Union Station in a statement on Thursday morning, describing some of the protesters’ actions as “despicable” and “unpatriotic.” “I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews,” Harris said. “Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation. I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in that way.” Below, photos of the demonstrations and clashes in Washington on Wednesday.  A protestor waves the Palestine flag during a demonstration outside the Capitol Building following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address during a joint session of Congress in Washington, DC on July 24, 2024. Hossein Fatemi—Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images  Pro-Palestine protestors are arrested outside Union Station in Washington, D.C. on July 24th, 2024. Jonathan Fernandes—Sipa USA/Reuters  National Park Service workers attempt to remove graffiti at Union Station on July 25, 2024 in Washington, D.C. Kent Nishimura—Getty Images  A demonstrator shouts slogans in front of police officers. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations and police clash at Union Station during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United States. Probal Rashid—LightRocket/Getty Images  Demonstrators gather on Capitol Hill on July 24, 2024, to protest Netanyahu’s visit and Israel’s war in Gaza. Michael A. McCoy—Getty Images  Pro-Palestinian protesters and police clash at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024. Matthew Hatcher—AFP/Getty Images  Pro-Palestinian protesters use colored smoke flares outside Union Station on July 24, 2024. Graeme Sloan—Bloomberg/Getty Images  Protest signage calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal is seen near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., ahead of a scheduled visit by Netanyahu on July 24, 2024. Mike Stewart—AP  Pro-Palestinian activists wave the Palestinian flag as they march through Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024. Alex Wong—Getty Images  Police and protesters face off during a pro-Palestinian protest in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024. Mike Stewart—AP  Activists burn an effigy of Netanyahu near the U.S. Capitol on July 24, 2024. Alex Wong—Getty Images  Protesters write ‘Free Gaza’ on the Freedom Bell at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024. Michael A. McCoy—Getty Images  Law enforcement officials detain a Pro-Palestinian protester at Union Station on July 24, 2024. Matthew Hatcher—AFP/Getty Images  An effigy of Netanyahu stands out in a crowd of protesters demonstrating on Capitol Hill on July 24, 2024. Michael A. McCoy—Getty Images  Orthodox Jews stand among protesters near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024. Mike Stewart—AP  Demonstrators react after being exposed to a chemical irritant on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024. Jose Luis Magana—AP  U.S. Capitol Police arrest Jewish activists protesting against U.S. military support for Israel inside a congressional building in Washington, DC, on July 23, 2024, a day before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver a speech to the U.S. Congress. Aashish Kiphayet—NurPhoto/Reuters  Activists celebrate as they burn flags and an effigy of Netanyahu during a pro-Palestinian protest on July 24, 2024. Alex Wong—Getty Images  A U.S. flag and Israeli flag are burnt on the ground near the U.S. Capitol on July 24, 2024. 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