Dave Matthews Explains to Al Jazeera Why He Took Part in Anti-Netanyahu Protest

Musician Dave Matthews told Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera that he was “disgusted” by support in Congress for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he joined protestors outside the US Capitol on Wednesday.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protestors filled the streets of Washington D.C., blowing whistles, banging drums, waving flags, and chanting to demonstrate against Netanyahu’s address to Congress.

The demonstrators marched toward Union Station, clashing with police, facing pepper spray, and arrests. Arriving at Union Station, near the US Capitol, protestors hung Palestinian flags from towering poles, burned an American flag and wrote graffiti on nearby monuments.

Speaking with an Al Jazeera reporter on the ground, Matthews began: “I just think it’s terrible when the majority of the world is looking at this man and what he’s doing in Gaza and then also what he’s overseeing in the West Bank and East Jerusalem that we’re welcoming into the so-called sacred halls of our government.”

He continued: “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 is the pinnacle of the obstacle toward that freedom and that we have visiting the country is obscene. It’s a disgusting show of support for someone that doesn’t deserve our support.”

The musician added: “I’m ashamed that my tax dollars are going to the brutalizing of an entire people. It’s shameful. And I’m ashamed that our government is welcoming him here.”

Netanyahu’s speech was received with a standing ovation and applause from lawmakers inside the halls of Congress.

However, the event has drawn criticism from some Democratic members as the ten-month war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, rages on and the Palestinian death toll reaches 40,000.

Watch above on Al Jazeera.

Have a tip for us? tips@mediaite.com