{"id":2309501,"date":"2024-07-26T12:39:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-26T16:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2309501"},"modified":"2024-07-26T12:43:13","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T16:43:13","slug":"biden-nps-cited-anti-israel-group-with-lack-of-disclosure-before-violent-protest-permit-shows-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-nps-cited-anti-israel-group-with-lack-of-disclosure-before-violent-protest-permit-shows-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden NPS cited anti-Israel group with lack of disclosure before violent protest, permit shows &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-nps-cited-anti-israel-group-with-lack-of-disclosure-before-violent-protest-permit-shows-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2309501&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u2062 article reports on \u200ba controversial protest in Washington, D.C., during which anti-Israel\u200b demonstrators caused significant unrest, including vandalism and \u2063arson. The National Park Service (NPS)\u200c granted a \u2064public gathering \u200bpermit to the ANSWER\u2062 Coalition for the protest,\u200d which occurred \u200dshortly\u2063 after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress. Despite prior awareness of potential issues \u2064with the group&#8217;s disclosure of activities, the permit was\u200d issued,\u200d allowing the rally to take \u200dplace.<\/p>\n<p>Protesters engaged in unlawful behavior, including defacing \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/huge-brother-of-arrested-antifa-blm-activist-john-sullivan-turned-him-in-says-his-brother-was-somehow-in-charge-of-us-capitol-riots-video\/\" title=\"HUGE! Brother of Arrested Antifa-BLM Activist John Sullivan Turned Him In! \u2014 Says His Brother Was \u201cSomehow in Charge\u201d of US Capitol Riots (VIDEO)\">federal property<\/a> and burning symbols of both the Israeli government and\u2063 the United States. Although many arrests were made \u2064during the event, some charges \u200cwere dropped shortly\u2064 thereafter. According to documents obtained by the Washington Examiner, the NPS had concerns about the ANSWER \u2063Coalition&#8217;s lack of specific contact information for event organizers.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2063 protest was \u2064purportedly focused on ending violence in Gaza and was \u200cnamed \u201cArrest Netanyahu! Surround \u2062Congress July 24 with the \u200bPeople\u2019s Red Line for Palestine.\u201d The NPS had set regulations \u200bregarding permitted \u2063activities to \u200bprevent damage to park \u2064resources, but these were reportedly ignored during\u200d the event, leading to further scrutiny\u200b of the Biden\u200d administration&#8217;s \u2063handling of such protests.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Biden NPS cited anti-Israel group with lack of disclosure before violent protest, permit shows<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1713747\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE &mdash;<\/strong> One day before anti-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Israel<\/a> protesters caused mayhem in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Washington, D.C.\">Washington, D.C.<\/a>, burning an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/3098188\/benjamin-netanyahu-address-congress-israel-iran\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Washington, D.C.\">Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> after he spoke to Congress, scrawling graffiti across federal property, and burning American flags, the National Park Service granted the organizing group a public gathering permit. The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> obtained a copy of that permit in full from a Biden administration source &mdash; providing a key window into the planning of the rally and the ways in which demonstrators skirted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-roy-democrats-wont-negotiate-on-h-r-1\/\" title=\"Rep. Roy: Democrats won\u2019t negotiate on H.R.1\">federal rules<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The permit, a redacted version of which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ANSWER%E2%80%94COALITION%E2%80%94PROTEST%E2%80%94PERMIT%E2%80%94NPS%E2%80%942024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>can be read at this link<\/a>, was given to the ANSWER Coalition, a group that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3098852\/familiar-faces-left-wing-dark-money-groups-fuel-violent-dc-protest-backing-hamas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>coordinated with other<\/a> pro-Palestinian activist hubs on the planning and execution of the protest. Dozens of protesters were arrested following clashes with police, though at least 11 of them had their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3100234\/at-least-11-anti-israel-protesters-have-cases-dropped-dc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>misdemeanor charges dropped<\/a> by Thursday evening, the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n<p>But even before the protest began, the Interior Department&rsquo;s National Park Service was aware of problems with ANSWER&rsquo;s level of disclosure about its activities, documents reveal.<\/p>\n<p>The NPS said in the permit documents that ANSWER &ldquo;refused to provide specific locations for onsite contacts.&rdquo; ANSWER is a project of a charity in San Francisco called Progress Unity Fund, according to tax records.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out for comment to both NPS and ANSWER. <\/p>\n<p>In the permit, the ANSWER Coalition described how it would be protesting in various areas in the nation&rsquo;s capital, including John Marshall Park and Columbus Plaza. At 3:37 p.m. on Wednesday, after many hours of protests in the streets, the NPS said the permit for Columbus Plaza had been revoked.<\/p>\n<p>Minutes later, a man wearing a red shirt <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MikeMurilloWTOP\/status\/1816197475486560639\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>was captured<\/a> on social media graffitiing the phrase &ldquo;Hamas is coming&rdquo; on a historic fountain in the plaza honoring Christopher Columbus. <\/p>\n<p>The Wednesday protest, according to the permit, was slated for between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. that day. Activists continued to demonstrate after 4 p.m. in the district as part of the rally, which ANSWER said on the permit application was to &ldquo;stop the genocide in Gaza.&rdquo; The protest was called &ldquo;Arrest Netanyahu! Surround Congress July 24 with the People&rsquo;s Red Line for Palestine,&rdquo; according to ANSWER&rsquo;s website.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These events were utterly predictable, as similar recent protests had also resulted in vandalism of federal property and assaults on Park Police, and the organization seeking the permit apparently did not even comply with its requirements before it was issued,&rdquo; said Michael Chamberlain, director of Protect the Public&rsquo;s Trust, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-doles-out-250k-to-wuhan-lab-linked-group\/\" title=\"Biden Administration Doles Out 0K to Wuhan Lab-Linked Group\">watchdog group investigating<\/a> the Biden administration. <\/p>\n<p>The permit said ANSWER, per federal rules, was prohibited from climbing, removing, or injuring &ldquo;any statue seat, wall, fountain, light poles, elevator towers, or other erection or architectural feature, or any tree, shrub, or landscaping feature&rdquo; in protest areas.<\/p>\n<p>The document also cited 36 CFR Section 7.96, a regulation holding that &ldquo;the alteration, damage, or removal of park resources or facilities is prohibited.&rdquo; On Thursday, NPS staffers began to power-wash the Christopher Columbus statue and fountain that were vandalized outside Union Station.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The NPS is already facing scrutiny for its handling of the Wednesday protest. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) sent a letter this week to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland slamming the agency for being &ldquo;understaffed.&rdquo; Westerman <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/biden-administration\/biden-harris-admin-under-fire-for-denying-police-resources-during-pro-hamas-protest-where-agitators-threw-feces-at-feds-burned-american-flag\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> the Interior Department denied the U.S. Park Police&rsquo;s requests for more manpower before the protest.<\/p>\n<p>The permit listed ANSWER&rsquo;s point of contact as Brian Becker, ANSWER&rsquo;s director and &ldquo;a central organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.liberationnews.org\/author\/brian_becker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to <em>Liberation News<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ANSWER%E2%80%94COALITION%E2%80%94PROTEST%E2%80%94PERMIT%E2%80%94NPS%E2%80%942024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>READ THE PERMIT HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1713747\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1713747\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Biden&#8217;s National Park Service (NPS) issued a public gathering permit to an anti-Israel group just a day before they created chaos in Washington, D.C. This included burning an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following his address to Congress, vandalizing federal property, and setting fire to American flags. The Washington Examiner obtained the permit from a source within the Biden administration, shedding light on the rally&#8217;s planning and how the demonstrators bypassed federal regulations. The permit was issued to the ANSWER Coalition, which collaborated with other pro-Palestinian activist groups for the protest. Following confrontations with law enforcement, numerous protesters were arrested, although at least 11 had their misdemeanor charges dismissed by Thursday evening, according to the Washington Examiner. Prior to the protest, the NPS had noted issues with ANSWER&#8217;s transparency regarding its activities, stating in the permit documents that ANSWER &#8220;refused to provide specific locations for onsite contacts.&#8221; ANSWER is affiliated with the Progress Unity Fund, a charity based in San Francisco, as indicated by tax records. The NPS and ANSWER were contacted for comments. The permit outlined the areas where the ANSWER Coalition planned to protest, including John Marshall Park and Columbus Plaza. Later on Wednesday, after several hours of protests, the NPS revoked the permit for Columbus Plaza. Shortly thereafter, a man in a red shirt was seen on social media vandalizing a historic fountain in the plaza with the phrase &#8220;Hamas is coming.&#8221; The protest was scheduled to occur from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day, but activists continued their demonstrations beyond that time, with the rally aimed at &#8220;stopping the genocide in Gaza,&#8221; as stated in the permit application. The event was titled &#8220;Arrest Netanyahu! Surround Congress July 24 with the People\u2019s Red Line for Palestine,&#8221; according to the ANSWER website. Michael Chamberlain, director of Protect the Public\u2019s Trust, a watchdog group examining the Biden administration, remarked that the events were predictable, given that similar protests had previously led to vandalism and assaults on Park Police, and that the organization did not comply with permit requirements. The permit explicitly prohibited ANSWER from damaging any park features or resources, as outlined in federal regulations. Following the vandalism, NPS staff began cleaning the Christopher Columbus statue and fountain outside Union Station. The NPS is currently under scrutiny for its management of the protest, with Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) criticizing the agency for being &#8220;understaffed&#8221; and claiming that the Interior Department denied requests for additional U.S. Park Police personnel prior to the event. The permit listed Brian Becker, ANSWER&#8217;s director and a key organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation, as the point of contact<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2309507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AP24207334629189-scaled-1024x732.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[5845,3620,36341,4542],"class_list":["post-2309501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-anti-israel","tag-biden","tag-nps","tag-protest"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AP24207334629189-scaled-1024x732.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2309501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2309501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2309501\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2309507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2309501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2309501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2309501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}