Above photo: Protesters camping outside Secretary of State Antony Blinkem’s house in McLean, Virginia, February 1, 2024. Fadil Aliriza.
Virginia State Police Raided The Camp While Court Considered Injunctive Relief to Prevent Destruction.
From January 26, 2024, until this morning, July 26, 2024, peaceful protestors have occupied the shoulder of Chain Bridge Road in the vicinity of the home of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, demanding an end to U.S. support for the Israeli genocide in Gaza that, in low estimates, has claimed the lives of over 40,000 innocent Palestinian civilians. Throughout this time, Secretary Blinken has continued to provide weapons and funding for a military campaign that the International Court of Justice has ruled is a plausible genocide.
On July 16, 2024, Virginia State Police, The Office of Virginia Attorney General, and the Virginia Department of Transportation arbitrarily demanded the removal of the peace vigil in a ‘law enforcement entrapment’. The VA State Police notified representatives from Arlington County Police Department that were present at the meeting that the State had revoked their jurisdiction over the area and their permits for safety barriers. The Virginia State Police and VA department of Transportation did not provide any evidence of any wrongdoing or violation of law. The peace vigil has not been a public safety issue over the past 6 months with no citations to-date from Arlington County Police for trespass, public safety violation, impeding traffic, or violations of noise ordinance. Over the past 6 months the encampment organizers have developed a strong and collaborative relationship with Arlington Police Department.
On 19 July anti war peace activists filed a lawsuit against Virginia State Police, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and the Virginia Department of Transportation with request for an Emergency Injunctive Relief to prohibit the State from moving arbitrarily to dismantle the peace vigil. The Motion for Emergency Injunctive Relief is still pending before the Arlington County Circuit Court. In a retaliatory move, the State of VA moved to dismantle the peace vigil and encampment, before the Court had an opportunity to hear evidence and render a decision. Arlington county and its police department had nothing to do with these decisions— we believe the conduct was done contrary to Arlington County’s position for the past 6 months.
There was no urgency for the State of Virginia to move in an arbitrary fashion when there was no pressing safety issue. This move was arbitrary and politically motivated.
On the morning of July 26 at 6:40am, over one hundred Virginia State Police gathered at the site, some armed with riot gear and assault rifles. Officers forcefully woke the two peaceful protestors and ordered them to vacate the public road with false no-trespass orders, threatening immediate arrest. They were ordered not to take any video, documentation or remove any of their personal belongings. The antiwar peace activists notified Virginia State Police, working in conjunction with Diplomatic Security Service and VDOT, of the pending lawsuit seeking an injunction against dismantlement, however the Virginia State Police ignored them and proceeded to threaten arrest. No one was arrested in the forced dismantling and displacement and all those present vacated without resisting.
The Virginia State Police refused to allow demonstrators to gather property voluntarily, or even to film the forcible dismantlement of the encampment and the confiscation of property. Virginia State Police closed a half-mile stretch of Chain Bridge Road in the vicinity of the encampment and denied entry to media, preventing the public from witnessing the illegal raid on the peaceful demonstration.
On the day of the forced dismantle and raid, the peace vigil had been present at its location for 183 days, with no security or safety risk to participants or motorists.
At 9:28am on July 26 the Virginia Department of Transportation issued a press statement that was factually incorrect, full of misinformation and that can be countered with countless evidence that they did not want to be exposed in court.
The Commonwealth of Virginia, under false pretenses of public safety concerns, has violated the 1st Amendment rights of U.S. citizens and residents as part of a wave of political repression directed at those who advocate for the realization of Palestinians’ basic rights and dignity, and an end to U.S. material support for Israel’s genocide, regime of apartheid, and decades-long pattern of atrocities against the Palestinian people.