The White House on Tuesday condemned “Death to America” slogans that surfaced online at a recent rally in Dearborn, Michigan, protesting Israel’s war in Gaza.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded “yes” when asked whether President Biden condemned the comments contained in the chants, which were filmed by some participants.
“Peaceful protests are something that the president has also made very clear: it is important to give people space to protest peacefully. But any type of violent rhetoric, we will denounce it,” she said.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud (D) also denounced the chants, sharing a statement about that “Dearborn is a city of proud Americans.”
The chants, which also included “Death to Israel,” took place Friday during a rally to mark International Al-Quds Day, according to Detroit News. Fox2 reported that the chants came from members of the public at the rally.
Dearborn, a Detroit suburb where Arab Americans make up the majority of the population, was under heightened security in February after an article in The Wall Street Journal called the city America’s “jihad capital.” Biden called the “anti-Arab hatred” against Dearborn at the time.
Asked by Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich whether Biden is concerned about the risk of Dearborn becoming a hotbed for local threats, Jean-Pierre reiterated that the White House denounces the violence.
“I don’t have any information to share with you on that, it’s obviously something that we’re still very vigilant about,” she said.
She added: “Obviously we will condemn any violent rhetoric.”
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
