D.C. Bridge Protester Remains Atop Frederick Douglass Bridge Over Iran Policy
A protester remained atop Washington, D.C.’s Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge into Monday, extending a days-long demonstration over the Trump administration’s Iran policy and artificial intelligence.
The man has been identified in multiple reports as Guido Reichstadter, a 45-year-old activist. The Washington Post reported that Reichstadter climbed the bridge Friday afternoon, brought food, strapped a tent to the arch and displayed a long black banner while calling for nonviolent resistance against what he described as an illegal war in Iran.
The protest quickly became a D.C. public-safety and traffic story. People reported that the Metropolitan Police Department said officers were on the scene of a barricade situation and that negotiators were present. MPD later said several bridge lanes had reopened while the situation continued.
WTOP reported Monday that Reichstadter told supporters he had considered coming down but might remain on the bridge longer after finding a way to charge his phone. He also said he was out of water.
The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge carries South Capitol Street over the Anacostia River and is one of the city’s most recognizable river crossings. The National Park Service says the current bridge was completed in 2021 and includes three sets of parallel white arches.
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The Post reported that reaction to Reichstadter’s protest has been divided, with some people criticizing the action as reckless and others viewing it as a form of civil resistance. The activist group Code Pink organized a solidarity event near the bridge, according to the Post.
Reichstadter previously climbed the same bridge in 2022 after the Supreme Court turned over Roe v. Wade, making the latest protest part of a longer pattern of high-risk public demonstrations.
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