Court Martial And Execution In Effigy Of U.S. President Trump And VP Pence In Bethlehem Refugee Camp

On Saturday, January 27, 2018, a group of Palestinian activists, among them official representatives of the Fatah movement, held a public mock trial of U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, protesting the U.S. freeze on its aid to UNRWA. After the reading of the "verdict," nooses were placed around the necks of Trump and Pence effigies, which were hoisted in the air and then torched. Footage shows one demonstrator beating the Trump effigy with a shoe.

The head of Fatah's branch at the refugee camp, Muhammed Lutfi, gave a speech at the protest, saying that the movement calls on all peoples of the world to stand with the Palestinian people and protect its rights from the American government, which brutally tramples all agreements. A representative of the Popular Resistance Committees, Mazen Al-'Azza, said that "the message is that the Palestinian people will pay with its blood for the right of return and the right to establish an independent state of Palestine." Activists carried signs and posters proclaiming that Israel and the U.S. "represent the real terrorism."[1] One sign read: "Zionism = Nazism = fascism. USA = ISIS = Terror."

For a MEMRI TV clip of footage from the event, click below:

Fatah's official social media accounts reported the event and posted photographs of the "execution." It should be mentioned that this is not the first time that Fatah circulates violent incitement against Trump, including images of his hanging in effigy.[2]

The following are photos of the protest from Fatah's official Facebook page,[3] as well as from other Palestinian and Arab sources.[4]