Ahead of last night’s State of the Union, hundreds of protesters blockaded roads outside the White House and near the Capitol, delaying President Biden’s speech. This is Ahmad Abuznaid with the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, speaking from one of the shut down streets.

Ahmad Abuznaid: “President Biden is talking about building a port to get aid into Gaza. But the simple formula is stop funding the occupation and the genocide, and Palestinians will build their own damn port!”

Activists also delivered their own People’s State of the Union Thursday night. This is Sumaya Awad from the Adalah Justice Project.

Sumaya Awad: “We’re out here representing the majority of Americans, who have made it clear time and again in the last five months that they demand a ceasefire now, that they demand no more weapons to Israel. The majority of the people in this country want taxpayer dollars invested in life, not in genocide, not in war.”

Protests took place elsewhere across the country, including Chicago, where a coalition of activists held a “State of the Genocide.” Participants observed a 24-hour vigil in Federal Plaza, reading aloud the names of over 30,000 Palestinians killed by Israel in the last five months.