UPDATED

In pictures: Hundreds of thousands march to support Gaza in Washington, DC

Protest leaders demanded the US secure a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, stop unconditionally funding the Israeli government, and hold Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet ministers accountable.

SHABINA S. KHATRI
AA


TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in support of Palestine on Saturday in Washington, DC. The event was the latest in a series of protests held by pro-Palestinian supporters around the world, including a major rally in London over the weekend, amid Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza.

The March on Washington for Gaza was endorsed by hundreds of organisations, including American Muslims for Palestine (AMP). According to leaders, the rally is one of the largest pro-Palestinian protests held in the US since Israel's Oct. 7 war on Gaza began, with hundreds of thousands of attendees.

The rally began in Freedom Plaza and ended in front of the White House.



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


Several high-profile speakers addressed the Washington crowd, including third party presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West, Code Pink Director Medea Benjamin and Imam Omar Suleiman.



The Palestinian American scholar called out the "insanity of the moment" in a direct attack on President Joe Biden. Referring to the recent US bombings of Yemen's Houthis, Suleiman said:


"You are shameless. If you have failed to see our humanity, we have not failed to see your hypocrisy. You've made it clear that shipping lanes in Yemen are more important to you than our lives. And you've made it clear that you want our votes without hearing our voices.

"But we're going to make you hear our voice today on behalf of all of these families and all of the martyrs and all of those that are still standing strong. Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., we charge you with genocide."



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


More than 23,000 people have been killed since Israel began bombing Gaza in October, including at least 10,000 children and 100 journalists. Amid international calls for a ceasefire from more than 150 countries and dozens of aid groups, Biden has stood by Israel.



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


In a letter sent to Biden, protest leaders said they demanded Biden work to secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, stop unconditionally funding the Israeli government, and hold Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet ministers accountable.



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


Al Jazeera journalist Wael al Dahdouh, whose wife, daughter, two sons and a grandchild were killed by Israeli airstrikes, also spoke to the crowd via video link.


“The people are paying an exorbitant price, and are living a disastrous life,” he said. “People do not have sustenance, food or drink, a place to sleep, a bathroom and what is necessary for a life, not for a decent life, rather what is basically necessary to maintain life.”



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


Organisers said the march was particularly timely as the bombing of Gaza approaches 100 days on Monday.

That date coincides with the birthday of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, whose anti-war record and reputation for speaking against oppression inspired some Gaza supporters.



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


In addition to Palestinian flags, many protesters waved South African flags as they chanted in support of Pretoria for filing a case against Israel in front of the International Court of Justice in the Hague in the Netherlands.



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


But the names most prominent on speakers' lips were Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.



TRT WORLD

Hundreds of thousands marched in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza on January 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. Photo: William Castro/TRT World


In a statement alluding to the upcoming US elections in November, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Executive Director Nihad Awad said, "the Biden administration can no longer ignore the millions of Americans who are saying 'enough is enough.' It is time for the administration to listen to the people and demand an immediate ceasefire, end its support for the Israeli apartheid government, and hold Israeli officials to account for their crimes against humanity."

SOURCE: TRT WORLD

Shabina Khatri is a Senior Editor at TRT World and is based in Washington, D.C.
@shabinakhatri

Video: Palestinian supporters try to breach White House fencing, rioters attack officers, staffers relocated, no arrests

PAUL SACCA
THE BLAZE
JANUARY 13, 2024

Thousands of Palestinian supporters descended on Washington, D.C. on Saturday in a demonstration to demand a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. However, the protest escalated into a violent confrontation with law enforcement that damaged the fence protecting the White House.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators participated in the March on Washington for Gaza – which called for "an immediate ceasefire, an end to U.S. military funding to Israel, and lifting the siege on Gaza."

Protesters waved Palestinian flags, and lashed out at President Joe Biden. The protesters held signs that read: "Genocide Joe has got to go" and "Biden has blood on his hands." The crowd also chanted: "F*** Joe Biden!" The demonstrators threw dozens of bloodied baby dolls over the fence protecting the White House.

However, the protest became violent as Palestine supporters hurled objects at law enforcement guarding the White House. The mob also damaged the security fence in front of the White House, reportedly forcing Secret Service members suited up in riot gear to try to quell the tense situation.


Video journalist Julio Rosas wrote on the X social media platform, "DC police and Secret Service had to rush to one part of the security fence to prevent a breach from the Palestinian crowd."

Field reporter Wid Lyman noted, "Protesters have breached the reinforced gate and riot police have confronted them - other protesters began scaling the fence."

Some of the protesters near the barrier were heard shouting: "Break it down!

White House staff and journalists were "relocated" during the escalation.

The U.S. Secret Service told Fox News, "During the demonstration near the White House complex Jan. 13, a portion of the anti-scale fencing that was erected for the event sustained temporary damage. The issues were promptly repaired on site by U.S. Secret Service support teams."

"As a precaution, some members of the media and staff in proximity to Pennsylvania Avenue were temporarily relocated while the issue was being addressed," the statement read. "The Secret Service made no arrests associated with the march and there was no property damage to the White House or adjacent buildings."

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said in a statement, "The right to peacefully protest is one of the cornerstones of our democracy, and the Metropolitan Police Department has long supported those who visit our city to demonstrate safely. However, violence, destructive behavior, and criminal activities are not tolerated."

"While a majority of today’s demonstration remained peaceful, there were instances of illegal and destructive behavior in Lafayette Park, including items being thrown at our officers," Smith added. "We are supporting our partners at the United States Park Police as they investigate and hold those found responsible accountable for their actions."

Authorities anticipated possible unrest in the capital and erected extra fencing around the White House before Saturday.

President Biden was not at the White House at the time of the violence since he had already departed to Camp David on Saturday morning.

A Pro-Palestinian protester holds a placard depicting US President Joe Biden (L on poster) and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R on poster). 

(Photo by DAVIDE LONGARI / AFP)(AFP)

Protesters demand cease-fire at March for Gaza rally in Washington DC

Thousands gather in US capital as Israel's Gaza offensive approaching 100 days

Rabia İclal Turan |14.01.2024 - 
SOURCE: TRT WORLD

Pro-Palestinian demonstration in Washington DC

WASHINGTON

Tens of thousands of people gathered Saturday in Washington DC for a march and rally to demand a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and an end to US military aid to Israel.

The rally, organized by the American Muslim Task Force on Palestine and ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and Racism), started with remarks from Americans whose families have been killed in Gaza.

Alaa Hussein Ali, from the state of Michigan, said he lost 100 family members, including more than 60 children, in Gaza in what he called a “genocide.”

He said his brother went looking for water for a “dangerous trip” from the north to the south of Gaza, but never came back as he was killed by an Israeli sniper.

“He was shot several times in his chest. And he was found five days later in one of the hospitals in Gaza,” he said.

Adam, who is a Palestinian-American pharmacist from Gaza, said he lost more than 100 family members, including his father, in the Israeli offensive.

“Israel killed a man who loved life, loved peace, loved people, loved nature. And most of all, he loved his grandkids,” he said.

“The tale of each family member who was murdered is a testimony of ongoing genocide of my Palestinian people,” he said. “President Biden can easily put a stop to this genocide.”

“He can easily pick up the phone and call Israel to stop this madness,” he added.

The crowd chanted: “Free Palestine”, “Ceasefire Now”, and “End the occupation” while holding signs that read: “End the war on Gaza” and “Let Gaza Live.”

The rally continued with speeches from prominent activists, community leaders and celebrities before protesters marched through the streets of the US capital.

Democrat Applauded for (Not-So) 'Dumb Idea’ to End Houthi Attacks in Red Sea

"Stop the bombing of Gaza, then the attacks on commercial shipping will end," suggested Rep. Hank Johnson. "Why not try that approach?"

Pro-Palestinians in New York City join "Hands Off Yemen" rally outside of the United Nations mission of Yemen on East 51st Street in Midtown, Manhattan, on Friday, January 12, 2024.
(Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

JON QUEALLY
Jan 13, 2024

Democratic Congressman Hank Johnson of Georgia is receiving praise for what he acknowledged some would call a "dumb idea," but to him—and many others—is the surest and most mutually beneficial way to stop the attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea by Houthi forces in Yemen while at the same time bringing an end to Israel's three-month attack on Gaza.

"I have what some may consider a dumb idea," Johnson tweeted Friday night, "but here it is: stop the bombing of Gaza, then the attacks on commercial shipping will end. Why not try that approach?"


Others chimed in to say it was a common-sense approach, not a stupid one. "That is not a dumb idea at all, Congressman!" declared Just Foreign Policy. "In fact, you are reflecting the view of the vast majority of the world."



Following U.S.-U.K. airstrikes on Houthis targets in Yemen early Friday morning—which members of Congress on both sides of the aisle denounced as illegal because they lacked congressional approval—critics warned it only risks escalating tensions in the Middle East further and puts the region on a path to wider war.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed Saturday it fired missiles on an additional radar site in Yemen, describing the strike as a "follow-on action."


The Houthis have been very clear that their attacks on cargo vessels and oil tankers in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the straight that connects the two known as the Bab el-Mandeb, are a direct response to Israel's "genocidal" assault on the people of Gaza.


On Friday, the Houthis' political committee repeated that message as it affirmed "the commitment of the Yemeni Republic to what was declared at the beginning of its naval operation to end the blockade, stop the aggression, end the genocidal war on Gaza, and allow the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and all means of life."


As Branko Marcetic wrote for Jacobin on Friday:

The ethnic cleansing and mass murder in Gaza could end, the Houthi attacks on international shipping could stop, the wider, catastrophic war that day by day gets closer to breaking out in the Middle East could be prevented.

All it would take is doing the one thing that president Joe Biden has refused to do, in the face of all political logic, common sense, and public pressure: support a permanent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, and use the enormous power and leverage Washington has over the tiny Middle Eastern country to make it stop its war on Gaza.


Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch and now visiting professor at Princeton, suggested that nearly tens years of Saudi bombardment—on pause since last year due to a fragile peace agreement—had not been able to displace the Houthis in Yemen but that the airstrikes and further Western provocations could rekindle that war as well as the extreme humanitarian crisis that came along with it.

"Better to get a ceasefire in Gaza to stop that humanitarian crisis," said Roth on Saturday.

In a statement on Friday, Johnson connected the U.S.-led bombing of Yemen with the ongoing violence in Gaza.

"As the U.S. and a group of allies bomb the Houthis for attacking commercial shipping lanes, the right-wing government of Bibi Netanyahu continues the incessant bombing of Gaza," said Johnson. "So far 23,00 people have been killed, 70% of whom are women and children. Untoward numbers have been maimed, with some being forced to undergo amputations and pregnant women reciving C-sections without anesthesia."

Citing the 2.2 million people in Gaza "being systematically starved to death," Johnson said the situation was both dangerous and untenable.

"With there being no place in Gaza safe from Israel's relentless and ongoing bombing campaign, the rampage threatens to ensare the U.S. in a regional war," he said. "I join others in calling for an immediate ceasefire throughout the region."

Confirming what many experts have said, the Houthis appeared undeterred by the first wave of airstrikes. As the Maritime Executivereported Friday, fresh Houthi attacks on vessels took place not long after:

The Houthi rebels resumed launching missiles and mounting their attacks only hours after the forces of the U.S. and UK struck at their capabilities. While ships are being warned to use caution and avoid the Bab el-Mandeb in the immediate aftermath of last night’s strikes, reports are coming in of an attack in the Gulf of Aden.

The UK Maritime Trade Organizations issued an alert of an attack and approach approximately 90 nautical miles southeast of Aden, Yemen. No details were provided on what type of vessel might have been involved, but the UKMTO said the ship is proceeding on its voyage without reporting any injuries or damage.

In New York City on Friday, the U.N. Security Council convened to discuss the violence in the Red Sea. The office of the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres used the occasion to call for de-escalation.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Guterres said the Secretary-General "reiterates that attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea area are not acceptable as they endanger the safety and security of global supply chains and have a negative impact on the economic and humanitarian situation worldwide."

Citing passage of a recent UNSC resolution officially condemning the Houthis attacks, the spokeperson also stressed that "all Member States defending their vessels from attacks to do so in accordance with international law, as stipulated in the Resolution."

The statement further called "upon all parties involved not to escalate even more the situation in the interest of peace and stability in the Red Sea and the wider region."

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.


JON QUEALLY
Jon Queally is managing editor of Common Dreams.
Full Bio >

ICJ's ruling in genocide case against Israel to be test for global community, says US lawyer

Diala Shamas says South Africa case is strong, and if International Court of Justice imposes interim measures, it will be test for US because of its unconditional support for Israel

Selman Aksünger |13.01.2024 -


THE HAGUE

If the International Court of Justice (ICJ) imposes the provisional measures sought by South Africa after producing compelling evidence meeting all of the elements of genocide against Israel, the international community, particularly Washington will be put to the test, a senior US lawyer told Anadolu in The Hague.

Diala Shamas described South Africa's case hearing at the ICJ as a "historic moment," and said it is worthwhile to travel to The Hague to witness the genocide case against Israel.

Shamas noted that South Africa began his arguments by reminding the court of the context that began in 1948, saying: "Referencing 75 years of apartheid, hearing that from a South African official was, of course, moving for Palestinians in the world."

She underlined how South Africa "made a very compelling case meeting all of the elements of genocide."

Commenting on Israeli verbal arguments before the ICJ, she said: "We saw nothing."

She added that Israel has repeatedly used the same arguments in court as it has in public and in interviews to justify everything it does in response to Hamas.

"I don't believe it was a very effective argument," the lawyer stressed, adding, "Genocide is never lawful. There is no self-defense exception for genocide."

All eyes should be on US

Shamas expressed hope that the court will do the "right thing and issue preliminary measures soon," stressing that everyday matters.

She believed that this would be a test for the international community as ultimately, other countries are allowing Israel to continue without accountability or withdrawing their support, she said.

"And I'm speaking chiefly about the United States that has been unconditionally supporting Israel," she added.

"With preliminary measures from the court of the world, I think that we'll all be looking to the US and Europe to a certain extent, but really the US and how they respond and hoping that they, you know, withdraw their military, political and diplomatic support to Israel," she added.

The lawyer stressed that "the big question" is what the US will do with the Security Council and whether it will veto efforts to implement the ICJ resolution.

"This ultimately, unfortunately, comes down to a political question," she said.

As the South African lawyer said yesterday, the very value, legitimacy, and credibility of international law are hanged in the balance in this case, she remarked.

Public hearings

On Thursday, South Africa presented hard evidence in the case it filed on Dec. 29, accusing Israel of genocide and violations of the UN Genocide Convention with its actions in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

The South African side is requesting an injunction by the top UN court to halt Israel's military assault on Gaza, which has dragged on for more than three months.

The 84-page filing by South Africa accuses Israel of acts and omissions "genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent … to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group."

It says Israel's genocidal acts include killing Palestinians, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, mass expulsion from homes and displacement, imposing measures intended to prevent Palestinian births, and deprivation of access to adequate food, water, shelter, sanitation, and medical assistance.

It was followed by Israel's defense the next day, in which the country denied committing genocide and claimed to the ICJ that it was only protecting its people.

The ICJ concluded hearings by asking that both parties of interest remain at the court's disposal to provide any additional information as required.

It said: "The court will render its order on the request for the provisional measures submitted by South Africa as soon as possible."

ELON MUSK ATTACKS AIRLINES’ DEI EFFORTS, PROMPTING CRITICISM FROM CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS

Musk claimed DEI efforts by United Airlines and Boeing will make air travel less safe.

DIVERSITY, EQUALITY, INCLUSION

by Sharelle Burt

January 13, 2024

Tesla CEO and X/Twitter’s “Chief Troll Officer,” Elon Musk, ruffled some feathers with his tweets about diversity, equity and inclusion, irritating civil rights groups, NBC News reports. 

After criticizing DEI efforts by United Airlines and Boeing wanting to hire pilots and factory workers of color, he went on making false claims that diversifying workspaces will make air travel less safe.

He even blamed airlines for focusing more on DEI requirements than finding “qualified pilots.”  

“The airline industry can’t find enough qualified pilots even without insane DEI requirements!”

His tweets caught the attention of the president and CEO of the National Urban League, Marc Morial, who called Musk’s statements “abhorrent and pathetic.” Morial highlighted how Tesla is facing numerous Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuits after being accused of abusing Black employees with racial slurs and nooses found on work grounds.

“Musk’s company not only refused to investigate complaints or take any steps to end the abuse, it viciously retaliated against employees who complained or opposed the abuse,” Morial said. “The only thing anyone needs to hear from Musk about diversity in the workplace is an apology.”

Musk’s comments were sparked after an Alaska Airlines plane made an emergency landing on Jan. 5 when a panel blew off 16,000 feet in the air. “It will take an airplane crashing and killing hundreds of people for them to change this crazy policy of DIE,” Musk tweeted, misspelling the DEI acronym. 

NAACP President Derrick Johnson took another route by criticizing Musk’s comments, saying they may promote hate speech, according to The Hill. “Reminder to @elonmusk: providing a home for the proliferation of hate speech and white supremacist conspiracy theories kills people. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion cultivates a more inclusive society,” Johnson tweeted. 

“They are not the same. We are not the same.”

Another notable giving Musk the side eye is Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban. The two have been battling it out on social media, leading Cuban to chime in on the tech billionaires’ remarks. After Musk attacked the airlines DEI efforts, Cuban rebutted saying the efforts applies to training school and not the airline. 

Elon’s only response was, “Mark Cuban is a racist.” 

RELATED CONTENT: Elon Musk Declares ‘DEI Must DIE’ As Tesla Owner Calls To End Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Initiatives

Massive Gas Outage Threatens Millions Of Americans’ Energy Supplies Amid Arctic Storm

Emergency shutdown at a natural gas storage facility in Washington state threatens mass blackouts.

By Alexander C. Kaufman
Jan 13, 2024

In this Thursday, photo the Space Needle is seen in view of still standing but now defunct stacks at the Nucor Steel plant in Seattle.
VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

A massive storage facility in Washington state serving the natural gas network that provides electricity and heating fuel to millions of Americans from the Pacific Northwest south to New Mexico went down Saturday.

The Jackson Prairie Underground Natural Gas Storage Facility in Lewis County, roughly two hours south of Seattle, suffered a complete outage, triggering an emergency on the 1,500-mile Northwest Pipeline that ships gas to power plants and heating networks across a region currently struck by arctic weather.

The storage facility provided enough gas to power upward of 6 million homes if it was all used to generate electricity. The gas network also supplies heating furnaces as cities like Seattle freeze in the coldest temperatures in the city in 14 years.

The city of Ellensburg in mountainous central Washington issued a statement Saturday urging residents to conserve natural gas.

Gusty winds had already caused scattered power outages across Oregon as the winter storm sprayed the region with snow.

The utility that owns the gas storage facility, Puget Sound Energy, said the facility went offline at 2 p.m. and “has steadily been coming back on since then.”

“Puget Sound Energy is asking customers to conserve natural gas and electricity use through the evening hours,” a spokesperson for the company told HuffPost by email. “Due to the extreme cold temperatures facing our area, regional utilities are experiencing higher energy use than forecasted, and we need to reduce strain on the grid.”

The company didn’t say what caused the shutdown. But the watchdog Union of Concerned Scientists released a report last month showing an uptick in gas infrastructure breaking down during cold weather when the fuel is most needed.

The latest episode comes just two years after a winter storm left hundreds of Texans dead as gas pipelines froze and power plants failed, underscoring how the United States’ aging energy distribution networks are heaving under increased demand and extreme weather from climate change.

Federal regulators approved an expansion of the Pacific Northwest’s gas network in October. But the investments needed to prop up the fossil fuel system are facing increased scrutiny from those who say the money should be spent on new, zero-carbon energy infrastructure like solar panels and batteries.

On the Ballot in Iowa: Fear. Anxiety. Hopelessness.

Lisa Lerer
Updated Sat, January 13, 2024 

Republican primary presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during a campaign event at Wellma

ALTOONA, Iowa — Presidential elections traditionally speak to future aspirations, offering a vision of a better tomorrow, the hope and change of Barack Obama or the compassionate conservatism of George W. Bush.

Yet this year, even before a single vote has been cast, a far darker sentiment has taken hold.

Across Iowa, as the first nominating contest approaches Monday, voters plow through snowy streets to hear from candidates, mingle at campaign events and casually talk of the prospect of World War III, civil unrest and a nation coming apart at the seams.

Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times

Four years ago, voters worried about a spiraling pandemic, economic uncertainty and national protests. Now, in the first presidential election since the siege on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, those anxieties have metastasized into a grimmer, more existential dread about the very foundations of the American experiment.

“You get the feeling in Iowa right now that we’re sleepwalking into a nightmare and there’s nothing we can do about it,” said Doug Gross, a Republican lawyer who has been involved in Iowa politics for nearly four decades, ran for governor in 2002 and plans to support Nikki Haley in the state’s caucuses Monday. “In Iowa, life isn’t lived in extremes, except the weather, and yet they still feel this dramatic sense of inevitable doom.”

Donald Trump, the dominant front-runner in the Republican primary race, bounces from courtroom to campaign trail, lacing his rhetoric with ominous threats of retribution and suggestions of dictatorial tendencies. President Joe Biden condemns political violence and argues that if he loses, democracy itself could falter.

Bill Bradley, 80, who served for 18 years as a New Jersey senator, remembered when he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000, spending more than 75 days in Iowa during his bid. “We debated health care and taxes, which is reasonable,” he said, adding, “Civil war? No. World War III? No, no, no.”

This presidential race, he said, is “a moment that is different than any election in my lifetime.”

He added that the race for the White House in 1968 “was a pretty tough election, but Humphrey versus Nixon was not exactly Trump versus Biden. The difference is just so stark in terms of American values and in terms of, what is the future going to be?”

On Thursday, with the snow piled up in the parking lot, farmers and cattlemen in a ballroom in the Des Moines suburb of Altoona took part in a timeworn political tradition: listening to pitches from Republican presidential contenders eager to woo them.

But between the stump speeches and the campaign promises, there was a once-unimaginable undercurrent in a state that prides itself on being a heartland of American civics.

“There’s civil war coming; I’m convinced of it,” said Mark Binns, who had heard from two Republican candidates, Haley and Ron DeSantis, earlier that morning.

Binns was hardly the image of a radical: He’s a 65-year-old chemical engineer who lives in Kentucky and was in town for the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit. He voted for Biden in 2020 but isn’t sure whom he will vote for this year.

In fact, he’s considering avoiding the electoral season altogether. Fearful of the possibility of political violence, Binns is weighing going to Brazil in November.

“Quite literally, I may leave the country for that week,” Binns said. “The division is too wide.”

The fear Binns and other voters express is bipartisan, although each side blames the other for causing it.

Democrats worry that a second Trump administration could plunge the country into chaos, trample constitutional rights and destroy the legitimacy of elections. Trump and his supporters make false claims that the previous election was stolen, that the riot on Jan. 6 was not an insurrection and that the Biden administration has been using the legal system to prosecute its political opponents. In the years since the attack at the Capitol, Trump and both mainstream and fringe elements of the conservative media have pushed a steady drumbeat of those lies, an effort to turn upside down the narrative of Jan. 6 and undercut the legitimacy of the Biden administration.

The result is a disorienting frenzy of facts and falsehoods swirling around issues once considered sacrosanct in public life. Recent polling shows Americans have a gloomier view of the future and express a new openness to political violence.

Just a little more than one-third of voters in a Wall Street Journal/NORC survey in November said the American dream still holds true, substantially fewer than the 53% who said so in 2012. In an October survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, nearly one-quarter of Americans agreed that “true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country” — a record high in the poll. In the early weeks of 2024, a host of officials — politicians, judges, election administrators — have withstood threats and harassment, including bomb threats at state capitols, fake calls to the police and a barrage of violent calls, mail and emails.

“What’s going to happen in this next election?” Michelle Obama, the former first lady, said on a recent podcast. “I’m terrified about what could possibly happen. We cannot take this democracy for granted. And I worry sometimes that we do. Those are the things that keep me up.”

As politicians, commentators and voters grasp for historical analogies, one of the darkest chapters of American history keeps being evoked: the period leading to the Civil War. Some see a parallel in the clash of two Americas — not North and South now, but Red and Blue.

Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor, mentioned the Civil War during his speech as he dropped out of the presidential race Wednesday and questioned whether Americans would support democratic values. He recounted the story of Benjamin Franklin being asked by a woman in Philadelphia what kind of government the Founding Fathers had given the country.

“He said to the woman, ‘A republic, if you can keep it,’” Christie told voters in New Hampshire. “Benjamin Franklin’s words were never more relevant in America than they are right now.”

David Blight, a historian at Yale University, has been surprised at how his once-obscure academic specialty in the Civil War has become a matter of current debate: In recent months, he has been repeatedly asked to speak and write about whether that period of strife has lessons for today.

Blight does see the comparisons. “It’s not the 1850s, but there are many similarities,” he said. “When are the times when the divisions are so terrible that we feel on the brink of losing the whole? When are the parts tearing us asunder in ways that we fear for the whole enterprise of this ideal? And we’re in one of those; there’s no question.”

The fears come despite what on paper looks like national stability. Inflation has fallen, unemployment has returned to a pre-pandemic level and layoffs remain near record lows. The Federal Reserve plans to cut interest rates several times in the coming year.

The incumbent president and his Republican challengers do also speak optimistically about the future. Biden promotes the economic progress under his administration. Haley promises to cut federal spending, expand mental health services and rebuild America’s image abroad. And DeSantis says he will cut taxes, curb illegal immigration and crack down on China.

Yet, at events across Iowa in the week before the caucuses, voters talked about issues far beyond the standard political debates over the economy, foreign policy, health care and education. Politicians, strategists and voters from both parties described an inescapable sense of foreboding, a feeling that something might go dangerously awry.

When Vivek Ramaswamy called on voters at an event in Waukee on Wednesday afternoon, one of the first comments praised the candidate’s anti-interventionist approach to foreign policy and raised the potential of World War III; “that’s a threat to all of us normal people,” the questioner said.

To Maria Maher, who was listening in the back of the restaurant with her youngest son, that kind of catastrophic thinking didn’t sound shocking. Trump’s defeat in 2020 convinced her that the country’s democratic system was broken and government was a “criminal operation.” Maher, who has a small farm, had been raising and home-schooling her nine children on her own after her husband died following a difficult battle with cancer about a dozen years ago.

“Voting is a joke, and it’s — what’s the word — fraud because of the machines,” said Maher, 62, who was deciding whether to vote for Trump or Ramaswamy. “If we’re going to get a sham president like Biden again, we’re coming in the back door. We’re going to bypass the president’s power.”

Dave Loebsack, a former congressman and political science professor, said he was worried about political violence, even in places like Iowa. He was shocked by how divisive school board elections had become in his small town of Mount Vernon.

“The fear is driving both sides, and that can drive both sides to extremes as well,” Loebsack said. “This is not a good situation.”

For some voters, some of the hopelessness stems from the candidates themselves. Biden and Trump appear to be heading toward a rematch election, despite polling showing that both men remain deeply unpopular among large swaths of Americans.

Standing by the bar in an Irish pub on a snowy Tuesday morning in Iowa, Terry Snyder, a photographer, said she was more worried about the results of this election than any other in her lifetime. Snyder, 70, had driven through the storm to hear Haley but doubted that the former South Carolina governor could win the Republican nomination.

Trump wasn’t an option, she said: “He’s a dictator. And I don’t like that aspect.”

But Snyder said she was no less worried about an America led by Biden for another four years.

Her three grandchildren are now teenagers, and if Biden is reelected, she said, she worries about their future and a liberal culture that she fears would police what they could say. “I’m afraid they are going to have so many of their rights taken away that we have always enjoyed,” she said.

c.2024 The New York Times Company