Joe Biden was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters whilst attending a Christmas tree lighting show in Nantucket.
As soon at the lights were switched on, a group of demonstrators unfurled “free Palestine” and “end apartheid” signs whilst standing at the front of the crowd.
The group accused the President of “genocide” during the annual event, which he attended with his family.
They shouted: "Biden, Biden you can't hide. We charge you with genocide."
WATCH NOW: Protesters shout 'free Palestine' during Biden's stroll in Nantucket
A man then spoke into the microphone to remind them that “this is a community tree lighting”, encouraging them to stop.
The President was in attendance with his wife, their children and their grandchildren over Thanksgiving weekend.
A press release about the protest said: “Nantucket Island has long been considered an exclusive vacation getaway for rich tourists. However, the protests on Friday night indicate that island residents are pushing back on their island and community being used as a safe haven for politicians and wealthy elites.”
The protesters were either Nantucket natives or living there currently.
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U.S. President Joe Biden attends a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony with family members
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Another protest is scheduled for today, when the Biden family is expected to go shopping in the downtown area for Small Business Saturday.
Yesterday, Biden spoke to reporters in Nantucket after the announcement that Hamas had released 24 hostages from Gaza.
“It’s only a start,” Biden said in a conference room at the White Elephant Nantucket. “But so far, it’s gone well.”
Israel and Hamas are currently in the middle of a four-day truce and Biden said “the chances are real” that it could be extended by a few more days.
President Joe Biden walks next to Nantucket Bookworks in Nantucket
Reuters
President Joe Biden walks in Nantucket, Massachusetts
Reuters
He said that the release of the hostages shows that Hamas would “only respond to pressure”.
When asked if he pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war, he said: “That’s a difficult task, and I don’t know how long it will take. My expectation and hope is that as we move forward, the rest of the Arab world in the region is also putting pressure on all sides to slow this down to bring this to an end as quickly as we can,”
“I don’t trust Hamas to do anything right. I only trust Hamas to respond to pressure”.
Biden said he urged Netanyahu to be careful about civilian casualties: “I have encouraged the prime minister to focus on trying to reduce the number of casualties while he is attempting to eliminate Hamas, which is a legitimate objective he has.”
