Protests have surrounded US President Joe Biden in Dallas, where the leader landed in Air Force One, according to footage circulating online and pro-Palestinian groups in Texas.
BREAKING:Anti-Israel protesters are trying to storm the tarmac in Dallas where Biden is landing on Air Force One pic.twitter.com/u8alfdiTVQ
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 9, 2024
Online reports claim that the protesters attempted to storm the tarmac. Some footage suggests that local forces arrested protesters, but no official statements have yet been given.
Protesters can be heard repeatedly yelling "Shame on you!" and "Ceasefire now!"
BREAKING| Dallas police cracks down on pro-Palestine protesters outside Love Field Airport where US President Biden is expected to land. pic.twitter.com/8FNBSh7Nhf
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 9, 2024
BREAKING! Over a dozen protesters were just arrested for taking the streets at the entrance of Love Field Airport as Biden lands in Dallas! One protester arrested includes a former Palestinian intern of the late Eddie Bernice Johnson who Biden is in town to pay respects to. pic.twitter.com/NBqGK9tvMK
— Palestinian Youth Movement (@palyouthmvmt) January 9, 2024
The Palestinian Youth Movement, one of the protest groups reportedly behind the planning of the protest, claimed that over a dozen people had been arrested during the demonstration.
DALLAS! Rain or shine, we’ll be out here awaiting Biden’s arrival—join us after work! Bring an umbrella!Biden is not welcome in Dallas while fully funds and supports the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza! pic.twitter.com/fgxmgWu9Vi
— Palestinian Youth Movement (@palyouthmvmt) January 8, 2024
Local media reported that Biden was visiting Dallas for the funeral of Eddie Bernice Johnson, a member of the Democratic Party who represented Texas's 30th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2023.
Earlier protests surrounding Biden
Earlier in the day, pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to drown out Biden's reelection speech in South Carolina according to Reuters footage from the event and multiple media reports. The speech was taking place in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where a white supremacist killed 9 people in 2015.
The protesters called interrupted the president with calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, something that the United States has vetoed in United Nations votes.
“If you really care about the lives lost here, you should honor the lives lost and call for a ceasefire in Gaza,” one person shouted from the audience, according to the New York Times.
Supporters of the president began yelling in response "4 more years," indicating that they supported Biden taking another term in his current position as president. Biden settled his supporters down, insisting “It’s all right, it’s all right.”
As the protesters were escorted out, the Times reported that Biden reassured the audience that he understood the protesters' "passion" in trying to end the conflict.
Repeated targeting of the White House
Biden has repeatedly come under fire for his continued support of Israel, in one such case in November the White House was vandalized by protesters.
Later in the day, a man was arrested for driving into the White House gates, the BBC reported. It is unclear what the motive of the man was or if it was accidental.