Video of Secret Service Confronting Jewish Protesters Goes Viral

A videos showing U.S. Secret Service agents confronting pro-Palestinian Jewish protesters who have been accused of blocking access to the White House in Washington, D.C. on Monday has gone viral.

The Secret Service arrested 49 people who attended a pro-Palestinian rally at the White House and footage of the event shared on X, formerly Twitter, appears to show agents clashing with protesters.

Protesters were calling for an end to "genocide" in Gaza and IfNotNow, one of the organizations behind the protest, said on social media site X, formerly Twitter, on Monday that Secret Service agents began arresting demonstrators after the group reportedly blocked off all entrances to the White House.

On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest ever airstrikes on Gaza. As of Tuesday, at least 1,400 Israelis and at least 2,700 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Associated Press (AP). Nearly 200 people were taken hostage in the October 7 attack.

A video shared to X by Anthony Hughes, a member of the One America News White House press team, showed Secret Service agents clashing with protesters.

The 15-second video shows Secret Service agents on one side of barricades and protesters on the other. One demonstrator can be seen holding a sign saying "Stop genocide in Gaza."

One agent, standing on top of a barricade, pushes a protester on the other side of the barricade as she approaches him. Other Secret Service agents can be seen pushing protesters back as they attempt to climb over the barricade.

That post had been viewed more than 120,000 times as of early Tuesday morning. The video was also shared by X account Citizen Free Press and the post had more than 163,000 views on Tuesday morning.

"The 'peaceful' protestors at the White House are anything but," Hughes wrote on X.

In a separate video shared by X user @thizzl_, protesters chant "Ceasefire now" before Secret Service agents pull one protester over a barrier and put them in handcuffs.

"Directly in front of the White House, Secret Service make violent arrests of pro Palestinian Jewish supporters who called for a ceasefire in Palestine," the X user wrote. "The kids were dragged over the barricades and thrown into the street."

Special Agent Steve Kopek, a U.S. Secret Service spokesperson, said that 49 people had been arrested in a statement on Monday night, with 33 people arrested on suspicion of unlawful entry and a further 16 people for allegedly incommoding.

"Every day, groups and individuals come to the White House complex to advocate for their causes and exercise their constitutional rights," Anthony Guglielmi, Secret Service chief of communications, told Newsweek in a statement on Tuesday.

"It is the job of the Secret Service and our partners to protect those rights and all individuals. During yesterday's demonstration, several people blocked access ways and attempted to breach security barriers," he said.

"While we truly understand the difficulty and emotion around this issue, for everyone's safety, those are actions that cannot be tolerated," Guglielmi added.

The protest was organized by Jewish groups IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace.

IfNotNow issued a statement to Newsweek on Monday, saying: "Today, thousands of American Jews and allies marched to the White House to demand that President [Joe] Biden use his leverage to implement a ceasefire and force Israel to halt its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza."

"Led by American Jews connected with IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace, today's action represents a growing wave of Jewish, progressive, and youth leaders calling on President Biden to de-escalate the conflict, restrain Israeli aggression, and ensure the safe return of Israeli civilian hostages."

A video shared to X by IfNotNow on Monday showed protesters continuing to sing while handcuffed and sitting on the sidewalk among a group of police officers, while another video showed demonstrators blocking an entrance to the White House while chanting, "No ceasefire, no exit."

The protesters called for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, with IfNotNow writing on X that they had "blocked 4+ doors to the White House. We're prepared to put our bodies in the way of more slaughter—we're ready to stay here until Biden forces a ceasefire."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is "at war" and has cut off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine into Gaza. He has vowed to "demolish Hamas."

Israel has called up 360,000 army reservists as it prepares for a likely ground offensive into the territory, which has an estimated population of around 2.3 million. The Israeli military has ordered 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to relocate to the south.

Update 10/17/23, 7:44 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a statement from the Secret Service.

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