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The American Revolutionary War hero General Marquis de Lafayette's statue in Lafayette Park, Washington, DC, was allegedly vandalized by pro-Palestine protestors on Saturday evening, November 4. Ever since the October 7 Hamas attack and Israel's consequent retaliation, a plethora of pro-Palestine protests have erupted across the world and are especially sweeping throughout the United States.
Apart from the statue of the general, other historic monuments were also allegedly vandalized by around 100,000 protestors. General Marquis de Lafayette was a commander of George Washington's Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. The French aristocrat was also a prominent figure in both the French and the July revolutions.
General Marquis de Lafayette is adored as a hero in France and the USA
According to Opoyi Central, General Marquis de Lafayette is a war hero celebrated both in the United States of America and France. The French aristocrat and freemason voluntarily joined George Washington's Continental Army, eventually commanding the army's troops in 1781's siege of Yorktown. The siege turned out to be the final battle in the American Revolutionary War.
His involvement in the war and successful lobbying prompted increased French support for the cause. Marquis de Lafayette's voluntary joining of Washington's army emanated from his strong personal beliefs in the ideals of liberty and democracy. Before the Siege of Yorktown, he was also involved in the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of Rhode Island.
During the Siege of Yorktown or the Battle of Yorktown, George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette's continental army troops were joined by French army troops and the French naval force to successfully and decisively defeat the British army led by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis.
After his involvement in the American Revolutionary War, he moved back to France to become a prominent figure in the French Revolution. He was a member of the Estates General of 1789 and also became the French National Guard commander-in-chief after the storming of Bastille before being arrested and then captured by Austrian troops, and later released by Napoleon Bonaparte.
He was vehemently against slavery and also wrote the initial draft of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen with the help of Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the United States Declaration of Independence, from which it drew inspiration.
"Sickening": Netizens on the state of DC
Social media users called the actions of the protestors, especially the alleged vandalizing of statues of Marquis de Lafayette among others, "sickening" and "shameful". Netizens took to social media to point fingers at who to blame for the apparent mess.
Some of the names being thrown around in the comments section of prominent conservative X handle, End Wokeness, were of the communists, antisemites, illegal immigrants, rightists, leftists, and Joe Biden.
"F**k Joe Biden": pro-Palestine protestors
On Saturday evening, thousands of pro-Palestine supporters from across the country met up in Washington, DC's Freedom Plaza. According to unofficial reports cited by the New York Post, around 100,000 people showed up. The protestors decided to march around the White House for their cause, applying pressure on the US government to end their funding and support of Israel's siege of Gaza and demanding a ceasefire.
Some protestors tried climbing the White House fence, and others adorned the fence with red hand prints. As shown in multiple social media videos, some of the slogans being chanted and graffiti being tagged on the buildings next to the Israeli embassy said: "Death to Israel", "F**k Israel", "F**k Joe Biden", "Glory to our martyrs", and most prominently, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free".
"Stop attacks on Gaza" read a large banner on the White House fence, which the Secret Service tried to take down. "Allahu akbar," said a few chants as Hezbollah flags were also seen in the protest. Statues of Benjamin Franklin, Andrew Jackson, and Marquis de Lafayette were desecrated and vandalized alongside many others.
"Biden, we will remember in November," said one prominent sign. Further signs read "Resistance is justified when people are occupied", a popular chant in the many rallies organized at multiple universities in recent weeks. Protestors vehemently accused the US and Israeli governments of war crimes, killing children, and genocide.
