| The White House Peace Vigil | |
|---|---|
 The Vigil, staffed by volunteers Philipos Melaku-Bello (left) and Joe Brown (right), withLafayette Square in the background, March 2025.  The Vigil facing the White House, March 2025. | |
| Start date | June 3, 1981 (1981-06-03) |
| Duration | 44 years and 5 months |
| Location | Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C., United States |
| Cause | Anti-war protest and peace vigil |
| Organisers | Philipos Melaku-Bello (2016–present) Concepción Picciotto (2009–2016) William Thomas (1981–2009) |
TheWhite House Peace Vigil is an ongoingprotest calling for globalnuclear disarmament andworld peace, located directly across from the United StatesWhite House, which has demonstrated continuously since 1981.[1][2] Volunteers staff the vigil 24/7 and it is widely considered to be the longest continuous act of political protest in U.S. history.[3]
On September 5, 2025, PresidentDonald Trump, claiming to have been made aware of the vigil's existence for the first time, ordered his staff to remove it that day.[4] On September 7 around 6:30 a.m., federal officers forcibly removed a tent-like structure used by the vigil, though the vigil itself remained staffed and its physical presence continued uninterrupted throughout the incident.[5][6] The vigil was fully reassembled shortly thereafter.[5]
The vigil was launched by activistWilliam Thomas as an anti-nuclear weapons protest outside the White House inLafayette Square, Washington, D.C. on June 3, 1981.[7] He was later joined byConcepción Picciotto in August 1981 andEllen Thomas (née Benjamin), who he later wed, in April 1984.[8] Over the years various other activists have joined, including those from theCatholic Worker Movement,Plowshares Movement andOccupy D.C.[9][10]
After Thomas's death in 2009, the vigil was maintained around-the-clock byConcepción Picciotto and many other volunteers until her death in 2016. Since this time,Philipos Melaku-Bello has led the vigil, which must be staffed at all times in order to avoid being dismantled by authorities. Many dedicated volunteers such as Melaku-Bello dedicate 40 hours per week or more to the vigil.[11] ActivistJay Marx was one such volunteer who toured with Ellen Thomas to promote the Proposition One Campaign for a Nuclear-Free Future.[12]
The vigil continued to be staffed by activists duringHurricane Sandy in 2012.[13] In 2013, the Peace Vigil was disassembled while it was briefly left unattended. It was restored the same day and organizers said that the responsible volunteer was a veteran who had experienced a bout ofpost-traumatic stress disorder.[14][4]
In May 2025, Republican RepresentativeJeff Van Drew wrote a letter toSecretary of the InteriorDoug Burgum describing it as a "24/7 eyesore" and requesting its removal. During a press conference with President Trump in theOval Office on September 5, 2025, Brian Glenn,[15] a reporter from right-wing media outletReal America's Voice, called the vigil "anti-American", and an "eyesore".[16] In response, President Trump stated he had not previously known of the vigil and ordered staffers in the room to remove it.[4] At approximately 6:30AM on September 7, 2025 federal agents removed the vigil's tarp-covered tent-like structure and temporarily detained and handcuffed the volunteer on duty who attempted to intervene.[5] The vigil itself, complete with protest placards, signs, and flags, remained physically present and staffed throughout the confrontation.[6] The vigil was fully reassembled within a few hours.[5]
Thomas and the White House Peace Vigil inspired U.S. House of RepresentativesDelegateEleanor Holmes Norton to introduce the Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act, that would require the United States to disable and dismantle its nuclear weapons when all other nations possessing nuclear weapons do likewise.[17] The Congresswoman has been introducing a version of the bill since 1994.[17]
The Oracles of Pennsylvania Avenue, a 2012 documentary directed by Tim Wilkerson and commissioned by theAl Jazeera Documentary Channel, recounts the lives of anti-nuclear activists Thomas, Concepción Picciotto andNorman Mayer.[18]
38°53′56.11″N77°02′11.59″W / 38.8989194°N 77.0365528°W /38.8989194; -77.0365528