Lawmakers replace American flag torn down by pro-Palestine rioters

A group of lawmakers including Speaker Mike Johnson marched down to Washington, D.C.'s Union Station on Wednesday evening to replace the American flag that had been torn down and burned in protest of Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress. In scenes reminiscent of the fraternity brothers who protected the flag during protests at the University of North Carolina, the group of Republicans, including Reps. Rudy Yakym, Ind., Derrick Van Orden, Wis., Morgan Luttrell, Texas and Brandon Williams, N.Y., hung the flag up and said the Pledge of Allegiance.

Earlier in the day officers were engaged in violent scenes as thousands of demonstrators descended in Washington D.C. to vent their fury at the Israeli Prime Minister over the war in Gaza. Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the 'despicable acts by unpatriotic protestors and dangerous hate-fueled rhetoric' outside the Capitol on Wednesday.

Republicans immediately sought to tie the rioters to their Democratic opponents. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tried to distance Democrats from the protests. 'It's not clear to me that any of the protesters associated with the left wing of the Democratic Party when these are individuals who have been aggressively protesting members of the House Democratic Congress, every week, every month, year after year, from October 7 In connection with our support for the special relationship between the United States and Israel.'

An image of members of the school's Pi Kappa Phi, Alpha Epsilon Pi and other fraternities holding up the U.S. flag went viral on social media in May. The patriotic act drew over $500,000 in donations to throw the groups an 'epic rager.' Netanyahu gave the students a shoutout in his address.

'I wish to salute the fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina for protecting the American flag against these anti-Israel protesters,' he said to applause and chants of 'USA' from Congress. Meanwhile, police estimated that over 10,000 protestors descended upon Capitol Hill to call for an end to the 'genocide' in Gaza and demand a ceasefire.

The protesters also burned an effigy of Netanyahu and displayed another one of him with devil horns and blood spraying out of his mouth. They spray painted statues outside the city's train station with slogans like 'Hamas is coming' and 'Zionists are [expletive].'

'Part of the crowd has started to become violent at First Street and Constitution Avenue, NW. The crowd failed to obey our order to move back from our police line. We are deploying pepper spray towards anyone trying to break the law and cross that line,' Capitol Police said in a statement at one point. Amtrak Northeast riders were told to 'expect delays near Washington Union Station and intermittent closures of entrances/exits.'

Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, Minn., reacted with horror at the sight of a Hamas flag being flown just outside the U.S. Capitol. 'I never imagined seeing the flag of a terror group holding eight Americans hostage for 292 days waved in the streets of our nation's Capitol. Over a million Americans have given their lives to protect that right - including my own father,' he wrote on X.

Meanwhile, close to half of Congressional Democrats skipped Netanyahu's Capitol speech due to tensions over the ongoing war with the Hamas terror group in Gaza. They believe Netanyahu has not done enough to protect civilians - a reported 40,000 have died since the war began - to allow in aid or to get hostages back.

Most notable absences include Vice President Kamala Harris, who would have presided over the Senate, but is claiming a scheduling conflict, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the second most powerful Democratic Senator Durbin D-Ill.

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