Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., called on the Justice Department to investigate anti-Israel agitators who vandalized statues at Washington, D.C.’s Lafayette Square the same way the department went after rioters who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol protests.
“Anti-American, pro-Hamas thugs desecrated the statues of our veterans literally across the street from the White House, a blatant violation of federal law. On video,” Cotton said in a post on X Sunday. “I expect the Department of Justice to use every technique against them that it used against grandmas in MAGA hats on Jan. 6. And if it doesn’t now, it will next year.”
Cotton’s comments come as thousands and thousands of people descended on the White House Saturday to protest President Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, with many waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine” as they marched around the nation’s capital.
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Although the protests started peacefully, some demonstrators turned their attention to the statues at Lafayette Square just outside the White House and vandalized them with spray paint and graffiti.
Other demonstrators turned their attention to park rangers working the area, shouting “”F— you, fascist!” and “Piggy, piggy, oink, oink!” Another man wearing a Hamas headband held up a bloody face mask that depicted Biden and shouted, “Down, down occupation!” while another demonstrator lit an American flag on fire.
Cotton likened the event to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots that saw thousands of supporters of former President Trump descend on the U.S. Capitol, with many breaking barriers and breaching the building.
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Cotton’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Those protests led to thousands of arrests, with the Justice Department boasting in January that over 1,265 defendants had been charged in cases relating to the demonstrations.
But no arrests were made during Saturday’s demonstrations, according to a report from NBC News, with police saying they attempted to arrest a person who climbed a statue but were unsuccessful after the crowd intervened.
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Police say they then deployed pepper spray and the suspect was able to get away.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Park Police said anyone with information can aid the investigation into the incidents by calling 202-379-4877 or emailing [email protected].
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