Protesters threw projectiles at former President Joe Biden after he attended an event at Trinity College Dublin on Tuesday, as police scuffled with demonstrators attending a pro-Palestinian rally, according to video of the incident.
An Garda Síochána, the Irish national police force, said three men had been arrested Tuesday in relation to a public order incident. Two of the men were later released, and one was charged, police said in a statement Wednesday.
Video of the episode showed Biden being shielded from the projectiles by black umbrellas held by members of his entourage.
Biden had been attending a ceremony honoring his son, Hunter Biden, by a debating society that praised him for speaking publicly about politics and his struggle with addiction. Hunter Biden and Jill Biden, the former first lady, also attended the event, according to Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTÉ.
“A protest took place in Trinity College Dublin’s Front Square on Tuesday, 10 November during a ceremony in the Exam Hall,” said Catherine O’Mahony, a spokesperson for the college. “The protest escalated while the Bidens were leaving” the event, she said.
Videos show groups of people gathered in the square, some waving Palestinian flags and chanting “blood on your hands.” As Biden was leaving the area, footage shows objects and white liquid, which appears to be milk, being thrown at him.
The protesters dispersed not long after the Bidens departed, O’Mahony said.
A representative for the Bidens declined to comment.
Of the three men arrested in connection with the incident, one was in his 50s, one in his 30s, and another in his late teens, police said. The man in his 50s was charged and was expected to appear in court, police said, declining to give further details.
On Tuesday, the College Historical Society, a debate society informally known as the Hist, awarded Hunter Biden its Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse. The accolade is “awarded to guests who have dedicated their lives to dialogue -- peacemakers, politicians, personalities,” according to the organization’s website. Past recipients include former Irish President Michael D. Higgins.
“To a society like the Hist, Biden’s recent advocacy on the state of American politics and media as well as for matters of addiction and recovery make him a commendable figure,” the organization said in a post on social media last week.
The former U.S. president also met with Micheál Martin, Ireland’s prime minister, who posted a photograph of himself with Biden and the former first lady on social media Tuesday.
Biden, who has Irish ancestry, has long been vocal about his fondness for Ireland, and he has previously enjoyed a warm welcome in the country. But support there for the former president has chilled since Israel began its devastating military offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.
Support for Palestinians is widespread in Ireland. As leader of the United States, Israel’s closest ally and by far its biggest supplier of weapons, Biden became a focus of Irish ire.
Biden, 83, was diagnosed last year with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. He said Sunday that his health would prevent him from making as many public appearances to promote his forthcoming memoir as he had hoped.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.