“Wakey wakey, war criminal!” shout US pro-Palestinian activists outside Antony Blinken’s home nearly every morning since they began their campout on January 26, bringing the call for a Gaza ceasefire directly to US Secretary of State’s doorstep.
The protest outside Blinken’s mansion in McLean, Virginia, has entered its twelfth day with several dozens of activists calling for a ceasefire, or chants more directly saying Blinken is a criminal like “Bloody Blinken” and “Secretary of Genocide.”
The protesters have also smattered red paint on the roadway as Blinken leaves or returns home.
“Wakey wakey, war criminal! Good morning war criminal! How is your genocide coffee? How many kids did you kill while you were sleeping?” shouted Hazami Barmada at seven am outside Blinken’s residence, on Friday, along with several others who had spent the cold night in tents by the side of the road.
This is what she has done nearly every morning since she and other activists began their campout. Barmada live-streamed what she called the “blinky blinky morning routine,” on her Instagram page.
Barmada, an active voice of the protest, who is also known as the lead organizer for a group that interrupted President Joe Biden’s campaign speech over ten times in Manassas, Virginia, at George Mason University on January 23, says that the protests have been successful in putting pressure over Blinken’s life.
“We have heard repeatedly from the secret service and from [Blinken’s] personnel that this has started to add a lot of personal pressure to his life, which is actually our intent,” Barmada told half a dozen journalists gathered at the press conference organized on the side of the road in front of Blinken’s house.
“Our intent is to make sure that you know Palestinians can’t escape the rain of American bombs that drop on their heads. You shouldn’t be able to walk away and just have a peaceful evening,” she added.
The demonstrators have been making as much noise as possible, along with holding signs calling on passing drivers to honk in support of Palestine, many of whom oblige despite digital traffic signs put up by police instructing drivers not to do so.
Blinken, who arrived in West Asia on Sunday to discuss the Gaza truce, has held several meetings with Israel’s war cabinet throughout the ongoing genocidal campaign, while his department and the Biden administration have consistently provided unwavering support to Israel and facilitated the daily delivery of weapons and ammunition.
He had also repeatedly requested Al Jazeera to reduce the intensity of its war coverage, which came shortly before the family of Al Jazeera correspondent Wael el Dahdouh was targeted for killing by Israeli forces, following an apparent pattern of Israel targeting journalists, with over 100 killed so far.
According to the Gaza health ministry, since the war began on October 7, more than 27,400 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive in the Strip.
