As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington D.C. on Wednesday, chaotic pro-Hamas protests broke out at the U.S. Capitol.  Footage of the scene showed the protestors lighting the American flag on fire that had been torn down from Union Station while chanting “Allahu Akbar.”  In another scene, the pro-Hamas crowd lights an effigy of Netanyahu holding an American and Israeli flag.

However, the American flag was replaced later in the evening, and officials patriotically recited the pledge of allegiance.  “Rep. Brandon Williams of New York had the idea to go out there and put the American flag back in its rightful place,” Speaker Johnson said.  Protestors also defaced a replica of the Liberty Bell, writing various pro-Hams and anti-American slogans on the national relic.

Speaker Johnson further mandated that they would not tolerate the attempted intimidation of Jews by the pro-Palestine protestors.  “They’re trying to intimidate Jewish people and all those who support Israel, and we will not stand for it,” he said.  The Louisiana Republican added that he was proud to stand up against the chaos that ensued at the capital. “So it was a proud moment for us.”

After being asked by Fox News host Dana Perino if the threatening actions on Wednesday should be taken seriously, he responded, “We should not stand for this at all.”  Johnson continued, “Look, we respect free speech, of course, but they are desecrating monuments, destroying public property, and they need to be arrested and sent to jail if they’re going to act like that and support a bloodthirsty terrorist regime.”

Johnson proceeded to quote a remark from Prime Minister Netanyahu, who blasted the American pro-Palestine protestors as “useful idiots” blindly acting on behalf of Iran.  “They are, in fact, what Prime Minister Netanyahu said in his speech yesterday: useful idiots for the cause of Iran,” Johnson said, recounting the remarks of the Israeli leader.

Johnson further maintained that he is seeking to enforce a “zero tolerance” attitude for the conduct observed at the nation’s capitol this week.  “We’re digging into that today to ensure that the law is enforced and that we have zero tolerance for this nonsense. I made it clear to our colleagues we would have zero tolerance for disturbances inside the chamber during the prime minister’s address, and I’m grateful that all that was heeded,” he said.

The House Speaker also applauded Netanyahu for delivering an “extraordinary” speech in front of Congress, a sharp contrast from the weak leadership that Joe Biden is providing in the final months of his presidency.  “That’s what you need the leader of your country to do,” he stated. “We need that desperately right now. Joe Biden is not providing that strength. He’s projecting weakness. And that’s why all of this chaos is being allowed to take place around the globe and here, here domestically.”

Johnson ultimately maintained that mobs such as the ones seen in D.C. this week, cannot be entertained.  “We cannot allow the terrorist mobs to win,” Johnson said.  Watch footage of the Johnson and other raising the flag that was previously torn down by the mob of protestors below:

https://www.foxnews.com/media/pro-hamas-protesters-need-arrested-sent-jail-speaker-johnson-argues-zero-tolerance?intcmp=fb_fnc&fbclid=IwY2xjawEQZ_tleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHUc2F4DusCm7LKHATGZuok03J9OSXdb3DM5IyR3cTQ6ukxEmYwJyJEjNDw_aem_ucfRtPJLfkv9UV7EKsRtGA

Featured image credit:  By Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America – Mike Johnson, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=139920652