Protesters gathered outside the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday, where US President Joe Biden addressed the annual dinner attended by some 3,000 people, as is tradition. Dozens of police officers set up barriers in the street in front of the hotel to keep the protesters out. Most of the protesters wore blue T-shirts that said “Press,” similar to the vests worn by journalists in the Gaza Strip. Every time a group of journalists passed by to enter the dinner, the protesters shouted “Shame!” and urged them to boycott the event. The protesters also hung a Palestinian flag several stories long from a window on the top floor of the hotel. One of the protesters told the EFE news agency that the US media has been hiding the “genocidal truth” in Gaza, where an Israeli offensive has reportedly killed more than 34,000 people. Kate, a 25-year-old college student, said that it was the young people of her generation who understood what was happening and had taken to the streets to protest the war. The protest was organized by several groups, including the Palestinian Youth Movement and the left-wing organization Codepink, in order to “shut down the dinner,” according to a sign. The protesters carried a large black banner that read “Ceasefire” in white letters, and among the slogans they chanted was “Every time the press lies, a journalist in Gaza dies!” A group of Palestinian journalists published an open letter earlier this month calling on their US colleagues to boycott the annual dinner “as an act of solidarity” with the reporters who risk their lives to cover the war in Gaza. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says that at least 97 journalists and media workers have been killed in Israel and Palestine since the war began, while the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate puts the number higher, at 125. The protest comes as demonstrations against the war in Gaza have spread to some 60 college campuses in the United States, where more than 500 people have been arrested in recent days. The movement is adding to the pressure on Joe Biden, who is seeking re-election in November against Republican challenger Donald Trump, to withdraw support for Israel. In his 10-minute speech at the dinner, Biden made no mention of the war or the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, choosing instead to warn of what he said would be the negative consequences if Trump were to return to power. Read Also: Biden apoia liberdade de expressão em universidades contra guerra em Gaza (Portuguese version)