Pro-Hamas protesters take down US flags in DC — police deploy pepper spray to stop mob chase: Video

In response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled speech before Congress on Wednesday, at least several hundred pro-Hamas activists, many carrying Palestinian flags, gathered around Capitol Hill to protest his address.

Blaze News' Julio Rosas captured videos of the anti-Israel protesters shouting, chasing, and shoving police officers stationed around the Capitol building and Union Station.

'Absolute chaos.'

Video from the demonstration showed some individuals in the mob attempting to pull police officers off of restrained and handcuffed agitators.

"Let them go! Let them go!" the crowd chanted at cops.

U.S. Park Police removed and secured an American flag at Union Station and withdrew from the chaos, Blaze News captured on video. Protesters followed the group of officers, shouting instructions to one another to grab the flag from officers.

American flags posted outside of Union Station were removed by activists and replaced with Palestinian flags. A statue was defaced by protesters who wrote, "Hamas is coming."

Other photographs and videos showed demonstrators burning American and Israeli flags.

Metropolitan Police officers deployed pepper spray outside of the Capitol building to break up the melee.

Rosas described the scene as "absolute chaos," writing in a post on X, "The mob continued to chase police officers to try to free protesters who had been arrested at Union Station. Pepper spray was eventually used to push the crowd back."

Rosas reported that law enforcement has detained some of the protesters.

Meanwhile, approximately half of the House and Senate Democrats refused to attend Netanyahu's address before Congress, choosing instead to align themselves with the activists. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and former House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) were among those who boycotted the prime minister's address.

In the chamber, Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) held up a sign reading "Guilty of genocide."

"I will never back down in speaking truth to power," Tlaib stated. "The apartheid government of Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians. Palestinians will not be erased. Solidarity with all those outside of these walls in the streets protesting and exercising their right to dissent."

Ocasio-Cortez called Netanyahu "a war criminal."

Vice President Kamala Harris (D) also did not attend Netanyahu's speech, citing a previously scheduled event. President Joe Biden and Harris will reportedly hold separate meetings with the Israeli prime minister on Thursday. Donald Trump is slated to sit down with Netanyahu on Friday.

Neither Biden nor Harris showed up to greet Netanyahu and his wife when they arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

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