President Joe Biden’s $25 million New York City fundraiser was disrupted Thursday by a series of pro-Palestine protests, with one demonstrator filming herself shouting from the back of the Radio City Music Hall audience.
“Shame on you, Joe Biden! You are funding genocide in Palestine,” she yelled, to the admonishments of supporters around her. “You have blood on your hands.”
Videos of the incidents began circulating social media late Thursday, where in a second demonstration, a man is shown standing in the balcony unfurling the Palestinian flag.
“How dare you talk about the innocence of Palestinians. Palestinians are dying right now because of your actions,” the man shouted as an unidentified seat mate to his left. “Palestinians are dying right now because of your actions, because of what you’re doing … Blood is on your hands.”
Both protestors were swiftly accosted by security and secret service.
Watch clips of the incidents shared on X below.
Anti-War protestors disrupt President Biden’s fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall in NYC.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 29, 2024
Former Presidents Obama and Clinton were also on stage. pic.twitter.com/kGGpAJdMDi
The recorded incidents, reviewed by TheWrap, apparently happened mid-program at the midtown Manhattan concert hall as Biden was joined onstage by former Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in a moderated conversation with “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert.
Protests began outside Radio City Music Hall in the hours ahead of the star-studded fundraising event, which was set to be hosted by Mindy Kaling and feature musical performances from Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo and Lea Michele.
Hundreds of pro-Palestine demonstrators gathered along 50th Street and 6th Avenue holding signs proclaiming messages like, “From the river to the sea” and “Cease-fire now” — along with increasingly targeted messaging at Biden.
“‘Genocide Joe’ Biden: CEO of Imperialist Murder, Inc.” one read. “Biden, Democrats. Strikebreakers, war makers,” read another.
A number of physical clashes between protesters and NYPD were also publicized on social media, and other clips, still, showed protesters chanting “Genocide Joe has got to go” in enthusiastic, musical unison.
“Genocide Joe has got to go!” chants from pro-Palestine protesters outside Biden’s fundraiser tonight in New York pic.twitter.com/GvX4bTvThJ
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) March 29, 2024
The historic Radio City Music Hall fundraiser was organized by Biden-Harris cochair Jeffrey Katzenberg, who said in a statement to media ahead the proceedings that the $25 million in funds raised “is a show of strong enthusiasm for President Biden and Vice President Harris and a testament to the unprecedented fundraising machine we’ve built.”
“Unlike our opponent, every dollar we’re raising is going to reach the voters who will decide this election — communicating the president’s historic record, his vision for the future and laying plain the stakes of this election,” Katzenberg added.
Also putting together Thursday’s event, which the campaign touted earlier in the day as the “most successful political fundraiser in American history,” were Biden-Harris finance chair Rufus Gifford, Biden Victory Fund finance chair Chris Korge and Anna Wintour. Jordan Roth and Alex Timbers produced.
