Anti-Israel Protesters Release Maggots, Mealworms and Crickets at Watergate Hotel Hosting Prime Minister Netanyahu
The attack is part of a larger ‘day of rage’ in which thousands of demonstrators descend upon D.C. to protest Mr. Netanyahu’s Congressional address.
Anti-Israel activists have defiled Washington’s historic Watergate Hotel — infesting the establishment with vermin that appear to be maggots or mealworms — in protest against a guest of the hotel, Prime Minister Netanyahu, who’s in town to address a joint session of Congress.
A viral video of the desecration — posted also on the Instagram account of the Washington branch of the Palestinian Youth Movement — shows hundreds of creepy crawlers wriggling on banquet tables reportedly reserved for Mr. Netanyahu and those accompanying him.
Crickets were also reportedly released on multiple floors of the hotel and fire alarms were triggered for “over 30 minutes” according to the pro-Palestine group.
The Watergate Hotel, part of the historic Watergate complex which also includes condominiums and offices, released a statement saying that they have taken “the necessary steps to ensure the property has been sanitized” and are now “operating as normal.”
“We are cooperating fully with authorities, who are handling the situation. As this is an open case, we are unable to provide any further details at this time,” they said in a statement to Fox.
The infestation was an attempt “to ensure that there will be no rest before Netanyahu and Congress disgrace themselves in front of the world for failing to achieve any of their military and political objectives,” the Palestinian Youth Movement wrote in its Instagram post.
Although the Palestinian Youth Movement posted video evidence of the attack on its Instagram account, the group has not claimed credit for the bug blitz nor has it named a culprit.
The videos have racked up tens of thousands of views and have drawn criticism from politicians and activists alike.
“This is just sick” wrote international human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky on X. “This is your ‘free Palestine’ movement! Just deranged, pure evil,” he added.
A partner at Sequoia Capital, Shaun Maguire, also chimed in, noting that the bug release comes just days after the assassination attempt against President Trump. “We have a law and order problem,” he wrote on X.
The Watergate was also subject to anti-Israel demonstrations on Tuesday night, with protesters being recorded chanting “Shut, shut, shut it down, no Zionism in this town.”
Another clip shows one protester yelling “Allahu Akbar! Hamas!” He later adds: “Jewish motherfuckers! We’re gonna kill all of you!”
The advocacy group StopAntisemitism condemned the protester on X, adding “This is a threat to murder Jews. This radical must be arrested. This must not be tolerated.”
StopAntisemitism also denounced the alleged bug dump. “How deranged is the “Free Palestine” movement?” They wrote on X.
The protests at the Watergate are part of a greater “day of rage” at Washington D.C., organized by pro-Palestine groups in response to Mr. Netanyahu’s Congressional address. Thousands are expected to descend upon the nation’s capital over the course of the week.
This is believed to be the first time Mr. Netanyahu has stayed at the Watergate, which is famous for being the site of the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, which led to the downfall of President Nixon. The Watergate was also the home of President Clinton’s mistress, Monica Lewinsky, at the time her affair was publicized, as well as of Bob and Elizabeth Dole when they were in power.
In previous visits to Washington, Mr. Netanyahu has favored the Willard Hotel, which was also the site of a command center set up by Steve Bannon and other Trump loyalists to push back at the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
