Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said that any kind of lawless behavior during protests would not be tolerated.
A pro-Palestinian protest in the nation’s capital on Jan. 13 led to clashes between protesters and riot police, during which an exterior gate of the White House was nearly breached.
Police and federal agents reportedly waited near the White House in anticipation as protesters crashed toward the reinforced gate amid attempts by some rioters to scale it.
“During the demonstration near the White House complex Jan. 13, a portion of the anti-scale fencing that was erected for the event sustained temporary damage,” the U.S. Secret Service told Fox News in a statement, adding that “the issues were promptly repaired on site by U.S. Secret Service support teams.”
The gate was placed as an added security measure to the existing primary gate. One rioter could reportedly be heard shouting to tear down the structure, while another could be heard screaming toward the White House, “You support the murdering of children.”
The riot led to a partial evacuation of staff members from the White House, as rioters threw bottles and other objects, video footage obtained by Fox News shows.
“As a precaution, some members of the media and staff in proximity to Pennsylvania Avenue were temporarily relocated while the issue was being addressed,” the Secret Service statement reads.
The White House reported no damage to the main and adjacent buildings, and no arrests were made by Secret Service personnel, Fox News reported.
In a separate statement to Fox News, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith, who oversees police in the District of Columbia, said that any kind of lawless behavior during protests wouldn’t be tolerated.
“The right to peacefully protest is one of the cornerstones of our democracy, and the Metropolitan Police Department has long supported those who visit our city to demonstrate safely,“ she said in the statement. ”However, violence, destructive behavior, and criminal activities are not tolerated.”
