Chaos erupts as pro-Palestinian protesters take to the Capitol, at least three arrested
Hundreds of Pro-Palestinian protesters converged on the US Capitol complex Wednesday, demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Capitol Police, which tightened security in advance of the protests said an unspecified amount of demonstrators were arrested, including at least three on charges of assaulting a police officer.
Emotions were tense as the largely progressive crowd felt betrayed by President Biden and other leading Democrats for backing Israel’s bid to eliminate the terrorist threat in the Gaza Strip.
“I think the White House and everyone thinks we’re just gonna sit back and let this just continue to happen. No!” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) declared to a sea of activists outside the Cannon House Office Building.
A swarm of protesters also made their way to a sit-in protest at the building’s rotunda, where politicians and reporters often film their TV stand-ups and interviews.
The massive demonstration was promoted by Jewish Voice for Peace, a progressive Jewish pro-Palestinian group.
Members of the group donned black shirts emblazoned with the words “Jews say ceasefire now” and chanted in the rotunda while waiving signs with similar pleas to end the war.
“The root of violence is oppression, and we’re here to say not in our names,” the organization posted to social media.
“We have the power to stop the ongoing atrocities against Palestinians. We refuse to stand by as the Israeli government commits genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. #ceasefirenow,” Jewish Voice for Peace said.
The group vowed, “We won’t leave until Congress calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Another self-described “movement of American Jews” called IfNotNow participated in the Wednesday demonstration as well.
Tlaib, the first Palestinian American elected to Congress, also appeared to dubiously impart blame on Israel for a hospital bombing in Israel.
“We need to watch people [who] think it’s okay to bomb a hospital where children [were],” she told demonstrators before bursting out in tears.
Both US and Israeli officials have since cited intelligence claiming that the blast outside the Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital in Gaza City came from members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a lesser-known terrorist group in the region than Hamas.
Despite the impassioned showing at the Capitol, the progressive activists appeared to get a frosty reception from Congress, even among Democrats.
“Many have asked me ‘who is Jewish Voice for Peace?’ Their website says they are ‘proud to be a part of the global, Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement,’ which, by its founder’s admission & tenets, seeks to end Israel as a Jewish & democratic state,” Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) posted on X.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) likened the gathering to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
“There’s an insurrection happening now on Capitol Hill,” Greene posted on X alongside a video of her grimly peering out a Capitol Office complex balcony at the protesters.
“Got my sign ready. Is the rally in Rayburn or Cannon,” Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) posted on X, showing a sign that said “Keep bombing Hamas.”
Rep. Brandon Williams (R-NY) paraded an Israeli flag at a balcony above hundreds of demonstrators who protested in the Cannon Building rotunda.
Capitol Police carefully monitored the activists as they chanted and clapped in hopes of enticing Congress to call for a ceasefire.
Security measures taken in advance of the planned demonstration included fencing around the Capitol Building, an increase in police presence, and guidance from the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms for lawmakers to stay indoors and use tunnels to traverse the complex.
Biden visited Israel earlier in the day Wednesday, affirming US support for the Jewish state and warning against becoming too consumed with rage over the deadly surprise Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
The White House is expected to ask Congress to approve a massive aid package for Ukraine, Israel, Indo-Pacific national, and border security that could reportedly cost around $100 billion.
Nearly 5,000 people on both sides of the bloody conflict have died, including 30 Americans, according to officials.
Another 13 are unaccounted for and some are supposedly being held hostage by Hamas.
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