Vice President Kamala Harris slammed the "unpatriotic protesters" who burned American flags and spray-painted pro-Hamas graffiti on Capitol Hill near Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech on Wednesday, calling their actions ''despicable."
"I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews," she posted on the social media platform X on Thursday. "Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation."
"I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in that way," said Harris, whose husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish.
Harris, who is expected to become the Democratic presidential nominee now that President Joe Biden has dropped his campaign, said she backs the right to "peacefully protest."
"But let's be clear: Antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation," she continued.
Read my full statement on the protests in Washington, D.C. yesterday. pic.twitter.com/zJpZvdQDt9
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 25, 2024
The protesters clashed with police wearing riot gear as Netanuyahu delivered his speech to members of Congress.
The demonstrators appeared to write "Hamas is Coming" on the Columbus Fountain, lowered the flags and set them on fire.
