Pro-Palestinian hooligans vandalize Union Station at anti-Israel protest, Republicans restore American flags: 'It's outrageous'



Pro-Palestinian hooligans vandalized statues, monuments, and a fountain outside of Union Station in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday during anti-Israel protests. The demonstrators also took down American flags, burned them, and replaced them with Palestinian ones. However, Republicans restored the American flags.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an address before Congress.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters converged on Union Station to demonstrate against Netanyahu and Israel's military response to the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, 2023.

As Blaze News previously reported, the protests escalated and anti-Israel demonstrators became unruly. The protesters accosted and even got into physical confrontations with police. U.S. Capitol Police officers deployed pepper spray after some protesters became "violent" and "failed to obey" orders by law enforcement.

Nine people were reportedly arrested across D.C., including four people on charges of assaulting a police officer outside Union Station.

Vandals defaced the Columbus Memorial Fountain, the Freedom Bell, and other monuments. The activists graffitied messages on the monuments with threats such as "Hamas is coming."

American flags flying outside of Union Station were removed by anti-Israel activists, and activists hoisted Palestinian ones in their place. The activists then burned the American flags.

'You tear down our flag, and I will put it back up every single time!'

A group of House Republicans — led by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Rep. Brandon Williams of New York — descended on Union Station late Wednesday night to restore the American flags that were taken down.

"We recognize that they flew Palestinian flags on these polls. It is outrageous. They were pulled down, thankfully," Johnson said.

He continued, "American flags are once again flying over Union Station. We will not let the terrorist mob win."

Congressman Williams added, "Anti-American agitators will not have the last say. We will continue to stand for this great country, no matter what. You tear down our flag, and I will put it back up every single time! God Bless America."

Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden from Wisconsin said, "We came down here to Union Station and re-flew these flags because Americans will not bend. We will not bow. We will not be afraid, and we will not be cowered by these terrorist sympathizers. We will stand strong with the American flag, the American people, and our closest ally in the Middle East, Israel."

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) wrote on the X social media platform, "We raised the flags back up. Earlier today, terrorist sympathizers tore down the American flags at Union Station, burned them, and raised the Palestinian flag in its place. After votes tonight, a group of members, including many veterans and the speaker of the house, took our flag back and raised it. Took a while to get it done because the Hamas supporters broke the connections, but D.C. police helped us out and got us zip ties."

After raising the three American flags, the Republicans and law enforcement officers said the Pledge of Allegiance.

GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas announced on Wednesday that a bill had been introduced by Republican lawmakers to "deport any foreigner involved in violence and vandalism on federal property."

"The actions of the pro-Hamas lunatics at Union Station in DC are shameful, and anyone on a visa who took part should have it revoked immediately," Cotton declared.

On Thursday morning, National Park Service crews worked to repair and clean the graffiti off the monuments in Union Station.

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Columbia University cancels in-person classes for remainder of semester after pro-Hamas protesters take over campus



Columbia University recently announced that it will no longer hold in-person classes at its main campus for the remainder of the school semester due to the unruly pro-Hamas activists who have taken over the property.

Provost Angela Olinto wrote a notice to students and faculty Monday evening explaining that the university's Morningside main campus will switch all courses to "hybrid — classroom technology permitting — until the end of each school's Spring 2024 semester."

She noted a "carveout" for the campus' arts and practice-based programs, noting that those courses would be "in-person with generous accommodations supported by school deans and staff."

The university's Medical Center and Manhattanville campuses will continue to hold in-person courses, but it will "grant accommodations based on religious reasons."

"All faculty whose classrooms are located on the main Morningside campus and equipped with hybrid capabilities should enable them to provide virtual learning options to students who need such a learning modality," Olinto wrote. "Faculty in other classrooms or teaching spaces that do not have capabilities for offering hybrid options should hold classes remotely if there are student requests for virtual participation. If the class does not permit adapting to the remote offering format, we encourage faculty to provide other accommodations liberally to students who have requested support for virtual learning this week."

The notice encouraged its administrative officers and support staff to work from home. Olinto stated that "safety" is the university's "highest priority."

Some students and parents were frustrated by Columbia's announcement and demanded that their nearly $70,000 per year tuition be refunded, the New York Post reported.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) encouraged parents to "demand a refund and then sue for breach of contract."

Michael D'Agostino, a 22-year-old junior, said, "I'm studying applied physics and applied math and those are classes I really benefit from being in-person. I went through COVID and all that when we were online for about a year and it really disrupted our education."

"I really think it's disheartening to see how our education is being punished as a result of this," he added, referring to the disruptive and volatile week-long protests.

Blaze News previously reported that Shai Davidai, an Israel-born Jewish assistant professor at Columbia Business School, had his school identification card deactivated on Monday, preventing him from accessing the university's main campus. He stated that the school told him it stopped him from entering the school grounds because it could not guarantee his safety amid the ongoing anti-Israel protests.

JUST IN: Columbia University has announced classes will be remote for the rest of the year as anti-Israel protests rock the school. \n\nThere are now growing calls for tuition refunds for the $70k a year college now that it has practically turned into an online school.\n\n"It\u2019s vital\u2026
— (@)

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Anti-Israel protesters block New York Times delivery trucks: 'Consent for genocide is manufactured here'



Anti-Israel protesters flooded a printing facility in New York City overnight, blocking trucks from collecting several media outlets' newspapers for morning delivery, including the New York Times, WABC reported.

According to law enforcement, a group of pro-Palestinian agitators gathered outside one of the nation's largest newspaper printing facilities around 1 a.m. on Thursday to create a blockade. The protesters prevented delivery trucks from accessing the building by standing in the road with their arms linked.

Video of the protest shared by WABC showed approximately a couple dozen activists obstructing one of the access roads to the Queens facility. The anti-Israel protesters carried signs reading, "Stop the presses," "Free Palestine," and "Will you write about this?"

The demonstrators placed rocks and office furniture on the roadway to further disrupt the delivery truck drivers. A large sign planted among the debris read, "Consent for genocide is manufactured here."

The roughly two-hour-long demonstration delayed the pickup and delivery of newspapers from several media outlets. The protesters dispersed around 3:30 a.m., and delivery trucks were once again able to access the building.

Police reported that no arrests were made.

The 300,000-square-foot facility also prints USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, Newsday, and the New York Post.

According to Hell Gate, the protest was organized by Writers Against the War on Gaza. Harry, an activist who participated in the demonstration, told Hell Gate's Nick Pinto, "We're trying to take the Times out of circulation for a day."

"People view it as this repository of objective knowledge, but it's actually at the forefront of manufacturing consent for this war. We want to challenge that, and create a vacuum where other things are possible," said Harry, who asked the news outlet to omit his full name.

The New York Times responded to the demonstration, releasing a statement Thursday morning that read, "The Israel-Hamas war is a complex and challenging story, and we receive criticism from each side. We are open to good-faith disagreement but firmly reject any assertion that our coverage displays bias. We support the rights for groups and individuals to express their point of view, even when we disagree with it as it relates to our coverage, but will not let critics or advocacy campaigns sway us from independent reporting."

The newspaper outlet assured its readers that the protest caused only "minimal disruption" to its distribution.


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Jerry Seinfeld hassled by anti-Israel protesters outside Jewish community center in NYC: 'You support genocide!'



A group of anti-Israel protesters hassled Jerry Seinfeld and others outside an annual Jewish event in New York City over the weekend.

On Sunday night, Seinfeld went to the 92nd Street Y, a Jewish community center in Manhattan, to attend the center's annual State of the World Jewry address. This year's address was given by former New York Times columnist Bari Weiss.

As Seinfeld was exiting the Jewish center, a crowd of anti-Israel protesters gathered round and repeatedly accused the comedian of supporting "genocide." "Genocide supporter! You support genocide!" one woman shouted.

Some protesters stood and feverishly waved Palestinian flags, while at least one person raucously blew a whistle. Nearly all of them wore masks.

Despite the group's evident hostility, Seinfeld remained "as cool as a cucumber," according to TMZ, perhaps because he was flanked by several NYPD officers. He smiled and even waved at the crowd before calmly climbing into a black SUV parked at the curb.

As his vehicle pulled away, the crowd continued to hurl invectives in his direction. "F*** you! You support genocide," a few yelled.

At least two protesters were arrested outside the community center that night, though it is unclear whether they have been charged with a crime.

Many in the anti-Israel group turned their ire on Seinfeld not only for attending the event at the community center but also perhaps because he had "an emotional meeting" in Tel Aviv a few months ago with Israelis formerly held hostage by Hamas. Seinfeld was likewise one of 700 members of the entertainment industry who signed a letter condemning the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, CNN reported.

Though Seinfeld has been ardent in his support for Israel, he was not likely the main target of the protest in NYC. Instead, those protesters had reportedly gathered to demonstrate against Weiss.

In particular, some may have been motivated by the death of Palestinian professor Refaat Alareer. Last fall, after Weiss retweeted a screenshot that appeared to show Alareer joking about an Israeli baby who had been cooked alive in an oven, Alareer claimed that if he died, he would blame his death on "Bari Weiss and her likes."

— (@)

Alareer died in an Israeli strike in Gaza last December.

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Here's Proof That the Left HATES You

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