Dave Matthews knocks ‘disgusting’ congressional support for Netanyahu

Musician Dave Matthews criticized congressional support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while attending a protest outside the Capitol on Wednesday, calling it “disgusting.”

Matthews spoke to Al Jazeera during one of the demonstrations protesting Netanyahu’s visit to the U.S. to address a joint meeting of Congress. Matthews knocked lawmakers’ support for the Israeli leader, saying it was “terrible” that they welcomed him into the “so-called sacred halls of government.”

“This has been an ongoing struggle for people that just want to have dignity and be able to live independent lives and dream of a better future. And this man is the pinnacle of the obstacle toward that freedom and that we have him visiting the country is obscene, it’s disgusting to show support for someone that doesn’t deserve our support,” Matthews told Al Jazeera.

“I’m ashamed that my tax dollars are going to this, the brutalizing of an entire people. It’s, it’s shameful, and I’m ashamed that our government is welcoming him here,” he added.

Netanyahu’s visit to the U.S. was met with mixed reactions from lawmakers, with a number of Democrats choosing to boycott the speech Wednesday. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian American in Congress, held up a small sign accusing the Israeli prime minister of being a “war criminal” and “guilty of genocide” during his address.

His visit drew massive protests outside the Capitol and just a few blocks away at Union Station, where protesters took down U.S. flags and burned them. They later replaced them with smaller Palestinian flags before law enforcement dispersed the crowd and made several arrests.

The White House on Thursday condemned the protesters for burning the American flags.

“Identifying with evil terrorist organizations like Hamas, burning the American flag, or forcibly removing the American flag and replacing it with another, is disgraceful,” deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement.