Police and VDOT clear pro-Palestinian camp near Blinken’s home – NBC4 Washington

Early Friday morning, Virginia State Police and Virginia Department of Transportation officers cleared pro-Palestinian protesters who had been camping outside Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s home for months.

The evacuation of the camp resulted in the Chain Bridge Road being closed for several hours.

Only two protesters were present at the time of the eviction. Matthew Waterman, one of the protesters, told News4 he was dragged from the tent where he was sleeping.

“I heard Virginia State Troopers outside the tent calling for us to leave. So I quickly packed up my things and came out of my tent to take some video. As far as I could see there were police cars,” he said.

Friday marked six months since the camp opened. In May, an electric sign warned drivers about people on the side of the road.

Earlier this week, VDOT declared the camp illegal. “Due to these unsafe conditions, the road has been restored to its original condition to ensure the safety of travelers on Virginia’s roadways,” it said in a statement to News4.

Waterman believes the decision to disperse the protesters was politically motivated. As he left, he took out his phone to film himself trying to move outside the police line.

“On the day of the forced eviction and raid, the peace vigil (known as ‘Kibbutz Blinken’) had already been at its location for 183 days without any safety threat to participants or motorists,” the protesters said in a statement.

The officers then threatened him with arrest and ordered him to get into his car and leave the scene.

The road was reopened at 11:30 a.m. Virginia State Troopers are now monitoring the area. A spokeswoman said they would stay there if necessary to prevent anyone from crossing the VDOT line.

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