Anti-Israel protesters release maggots in DC hotel where Netanyahu is staying

Anti-Israel protesters welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington DC on Wednesday by letting loose thousands of maggots, mealworms and crickets in the hotel where he is staying.

A grassroots pro-Palestine organisation was reportedly behind the infestation at Watergate Hotel, posting a video on Instagram that showed maggots and mealworms heaped on the white tablecloth of a banquet table and crickets crawling on the floors of various hallways. The caption of the post said that protesters “manufactured chaos last night so that Netanyahu, Israeli Mossad agents, and the Secret Service had no peace as they continue to terrorise our people.”

The post claimed that the creatures were released on multiple floors of the hotel, and fire alarms were triggered “for over 30 minutes on multiple floors to ensure that there will be no rest before Netanyahu and Congress disgrace themselves in front of the world for failing to achieve any of their military and political objectives.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a controversial address to a joint session of Congress in Washington, DC, 24 July, 2024, while pro-Palestine demonstrators outside the Capitol protested his visit. (Photo by ALLISON BAILEY/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)Middle East Images/AFP via Getty

Netanyahu’s contentious visit to the US sparked large-scale protests across the capital where he addressed members of Congress on Wednesday. Demonstrators numbering in the thousands chanted “Free, Free Palestine” outside the Capitol building during Netanyahu’s speech, and police officers deployed pepper spray after members of the crowd allegedly became violent. Protesters outside Union Station in DC burned a US flag, and fountains around the city were dyed blood red.