Protesters Swarm White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Drape Massive Palestinian Flag From Hotel Window

Anti-Israel protesters swarmed the streets surrounding Saturday evening’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, shouting at attendees and draping a massive Palestinian flag from one of the windows of the host hotel.

Associated Press reporter Farnoush Amiri commented on the crowds waiting outside the venue, saying that the scene before her was very different than it had been in years past.

“This is my third year covering the WHCD as the designated AP reporter for the WH pool and I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said of the gathered protesters. “President Biden’s motorcade will likely drive by these crowds shortly.”

Amiri also noted that President Joe Biden’s motorcade took a different route to the event than it had in years past — and her assumption was that they were attempting to avoid the protests as much as possible.Protesters carried signs referencing journalists who have reportedly been killed in Gaza.Protesters attempted to surround attendees — among them Caitlyn Jenner — and confront them as they arrived, calling on journalists to boycott the event.

The protesters claimed they were there “to protest media complicity in genocide,” complaining that Palestinian journalists were being killed “with full U.S. backing” for reporting on the situation in Gaza.

“The pro-Hamas crowd has arrived outside the White House Correspondent’s Dinner and is VERY upset about me filming them,” Katie Pavlich posted.

 

The Palestinian flag, according to witnesses, was draped from a window of the Washington Hilton just before President Joe Biden was expected to arrive at the venue.

 

WUSA9 reporter Alexis Wainwright shared several videos of the protest, confirming that those present were calling for a boycott of the dinner.

She also reported that at least one protester had been escorted away by police, prompting other protesters to yell at officers to let the person go.

Ousted MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan publicly stated that despite attending the WHCD in the past, he would join with the anti-Israel protesters and sit this one out.