Three men were arrested and one faced charges after a pro-Palestinian protest against former President Joe Biden during his visit to Trinity College Dublin, Irish police and a university spokesperson told MS NOW on Wednesday.

The protest “escalated while the Bidens were leaving” an award ceremony on campus Tuesday for their son Hunter Biden, Catherine O’Mahony, a university spokesperson, told MS NOW.

In a video of the scene, protesters can be heard chanting “Joe Biden, you can’t hide, you committed genocide” and “blood on your hands” while some held Palestinian flags.

As the former president exited the venue for his car, he was shielded by black umbrellas, at which point someone threw an object in his direction, the video showed. It was unclear what the object was or who threw it. Shortly after, police subdued one man who ran toward Biden’s car and another slightly further back.

Irish police, known as the Garda Síochána, arrested three men — in their late teens, 30s and 50s — a police spokesperson said. The two younger men were released without charges, and the man in his 50s has been charged and ordered to appear in court. The police spokesperson declined to respond to follow-up questions from MS NOW, including what charges the man faced and when he was due to appear in court.

O’Mahony said the university was only aware of two men being arrested, but deferred to the police.

The Bidens “left without incident” and the protest soon dispersed, O’Mahony said. Video taken at the ceremony showed that former first lady Jill Biden was also present.

A spokesperson for Biden declined to comment on the incident to MS NOW.

Biden has faced criticism for his administration’s support of Israel’s war in Gaza, which began with the Hamas attacks on Israel of Oct. 7, 2023, that killed approximately 1,200 people with approximately 250 taken hostage. Israel has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians in the war, the Gaza Health Ministry said this summer.

The Irish have a long history of supporting the Palestinian cause, and the country was the first in the European Union to call for Palestinian statehood back in 1980.

The incident came just ahead of the publication of the former president’s post-presidential memoir, “Promise Me, America.” Biden is currently being treated for cancer, which he has said will force him to scale back his planned book tour.

Trinity College Dublin’s student debating society, known as the Hist, recently announced it would award Hunter Biden the Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse, adding that his “recent advocacy on the state of American politics and media as well as for matters of addiction and recovery make him a commendable figure.” Since his father left office, Hunter Biden has made a slate of podcast appearances, including with right-wing figures Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, on which he has discussed his recovery from substance abuse, among other topics.

Biden’s daughter, Ashley Biden, shared photos of the trip on her Instagram story, including pictures of herself with her parents and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin. On Tuesday she shared a photo of Hunter speaking at a dinner, with a caption that said, in part, “I am so grateful to all those who loved and supported my brother through his darkest days.” She did not address the protest.

Akayla Gardner contributed to this report.

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