Three people were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest outside a Washington, D.C., train station on Friday night.
Many of the protesters flew Palestinian flags and called for a ceasefire as Israel attacks Hamas following terror attacks on October 7 that left over 1,400 Israelis dead and thousands injured.
“During the protest, our officers observed several individuals defacing property with paint. Three individuals were arrested and charged with Defacing Public Property. The property damage was limited to one section of Union Station, and clean-up crews are working to restore the building. There were no major incidents reported,” D.C. Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said in a statement.
The arrests were made after demonstrators made handprints on the side of Union Station, the Washington Examiner reported. Police blocked the entrance to the station, and it was briefly shut down while the demonstration was ongoing.
Demonstrators held up signs saying “End all U.S. aid to Israel” and accusing Israel of being an apartheid state.
The protest came just two days after U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) had to evacuate the area around the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in D.C. after a pro-Palestinian protest became violent. The riot resulted in multiple arrests and injured officers.
Police warned people away from the area and evacuated bystanders and some top lawmakers away from the DNC after the gathering became violent, according to police.
Earlier this week, hundreds of thousands marched in D.C. in support of Israel, including family members of those who have been held hostage by Hamas since last month.
The rally — organized by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations — was held on the National Mall and was attended by people, mostly Christians and Jews, from across the U.S.
Pro-Palestinian protests have cropped up in places around the U.S. in the wake of the Hamas terrorists attacks and Israeli response. Last week, a mob of pro–Palestinian protesters attempted to kick in a door at Grand Central Station in New York City and harassed reporters.
New York City again saw thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters show up on Friday night at locations throughout Manhattan with demonstrators chanting “ceasefire now” and “free Palestine.”