The White House Peace Vigil is an ongoing protest calling for global nuclear disarmament and world peace, located directly across from the United States White 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, President Donald 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]
After Thomas's death in 2009, the vigil was maintained around-the-clock by Concepción 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] Activist Jay 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 during Hurricane 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 of post-traumatic stress disorder.[14][4]
In May 2025, Republican Representative Jeff Van Drew wrote a letter to Secretary of the InteriorDoug Burgum describing it as a "24/7 eyesore" and requesting its removal. During a press conference with President Trump in the Oval Office on September 5, 2025, a reporter from right-wing media outlet, Real America's Voice, called the vigil "anti-American", and an "eyesore".[15] 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]
Influence
Thomas and the White House Peace Vigil inspired U.S. House of Representatives DelegateEleanor 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.[16] The Congresswoman has been introducing a version of the bill since 1994.[16]
In the media
The Oracles of Pennsylvania Avenue, a 2012 documentary directed by Tim Wilkerson and commissioned by the Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, recounts the lives of anti-nuclear activists Thomas, Concepción Picciotto and Norman Mayer.[17]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
