Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters from across the United States have gathered to stage a mass rally near the White House in Washington, DC, lashing out at US President Joe Biden for green-lighting Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
The protesters on Saturday voiced anger at Biden for ignoring the “red line”, giving the Israeli regime forces the go-ahead to continue its eight-month war on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 36,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Almost all the protesters were wearing red clothing and held Palestinian flags or banners, and signs saying “Biden’s red line was a lie.”
“From DC to Palestine, we are the red line,” they chanted.
The protesters, who demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, said they would not vote for Biden in the upcoming 2024 US presidential election.
They were also holding a symbolic 3-kilometer-long red banner with the names of the Palestinians killed on it.
Biden has been criticized for ignoring the “red line” he seemingly set two months ago when he said he would not allow the Israeli forces to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah where more than half of the Strip’s 2.3 million population were seeking refuge.
The protesters said they no longer trusted Biden, describing him as a “coward” and “hypocrite.”
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“I no longer believe any of the words that Joe Biden says,” said 25-year-old Zaid Mahdawi, a protester from Virginia, whose parents are Palestinian.
“This ‘red line’ in his rhetoric is rubbish... it shows his hypocrisy and his cowardice,” Mahdawi told AFP.
“I think we all hope it’s going to stop soon but clearly our president is not living up to the words he is speaking to our country. It’s outrageous,” said nursing assistant, Tala McKinney, 25.
“It’s very disappointing to have a president who doesn’t follow through with their word... I will be voting for a third party.”
Political experts say with just five months left to the November election, Biden needs the votes of US Muslims and young voters to win. The experts insist the votes are crucial for Democratic Biden to win the race against Republican candidate Donald Trump.