White House prepares for weekend pro-Palestinian protests

The White House is putting up fencing around its complex in preparation for protests this weekend over President Biden’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza.

A Secret Service spokesperson told The Hill that “in preparation for the events this weekend in Washington D.C. that have the potential for large crowds to gather, additional public safety measures including anti-scale fencing have been put in place near the White House complex.”

A protest is planned for Saturday, which marks eight months since the war began. According to organizers, the group will surround the White House and wear red to signify a red line after Biden has been accused of caving on his “red line” warning with Israel in its Rafah invasion.

The president will not be at the White House for the protest. He is in France until Sunday, marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy and meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

The activist group CodePink is also organizing protesters for what it calls the “red line” protest. George Washington University sent out a notice about the expected activity around the area Saturday with safety tips, adding that the school does not have information to suggest a threat to campus.

Biden has faced protests across the country over his handling of the war in Gaza, some interrupting him during various events. The president also lost more than half a million voters to the “uncommitted” movement in this year’s Democratic primaries, underscoring the frustration in his own party about the war.