Hundreds of Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at the US Capitol complex on Wednesday, demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Capitol police, who tightened security ahead of the protest, said an unspecified number of protesters had been arrested, including at least three on charges of assaulting police officers.
Emotions ran high as the largely progressive public felt betrayed by President Biden and other leading Democrats for supporting Israel’s efforts to eliminate the terrorist threat in the Gaza Strip.
“I think the White House and everybody thinks we’re just going to sit back and let this happen. No!” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) declared to a sea of activists outside the Cannon House Office Building.
A group of protesters also went to a sit-in protest in the building’s rotunda, where politicians and journalists often film their TV broadcasts and interviews.
The massive demonstration was promoted by Jewish Voice for Peace, a progressive Jewish pro-Palestinian group.
Activists from the group ‘Jewish Voice for Peace’ protest Israel’s expected ground attack on Gaza inside the Cannon House Office Building next to the US Capitol.AP Protesters engage in a sit-in in the rotunda of the Cannon Building.REUTERS
Hundreds of mainly Jewish protesters are now at the Cannon Capitol building holding a sit-in protest, calling on Biden and Congress to push for a cease-fire in Gaza.
They were slowly caught. pic.twitter.com/mGLELwRj6p
— Jack Jenkins (@jackmjenkins) October 18, 2023
Capitol Police arrest a woman while blowing her horn.Getty Images
Members of the group wore black shirts emblazoned with the words “Jews say truce now” and chanted around the rotunda while waving signs with similar appeals to end the war.
“The cause of violence is oppression, and we are here to say it is not in our name,” the organization posted on social media.
“We have the power to stop the ongoing atrocities against the Palestinian people. We refuse to remain silent as the Israeli government commits genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. #ceasefirenow,” Jewish Voice for Peace said.
The group vowed, “We will not leave until Congress calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Another self-described “American Jewish movement” called IfNotNow also participated in Wednesday’s demonstration.
Tlaib, the first Palestinian American to be elected to Congress, also seemed hesitant to blame Israel for the hospital bombings in Israel.
“We have to watch people [who] think it’s okay to bomb a hospital where children are [were],” he told the protesters before breaking into tears.
Israel’s defenders argue that the Jewish state has the right to extinguish the terrorist threat posed by Hamas from the Gaza Strip.JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock It was not immediately clear how many were arrested.REUTERS A protester is detained by US Capitol police officers during a protest calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.REUTERS
Both US and Israeli officials have cited intelligence claiming that the explosion outside 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 spirited show at the Capitol, progressive activists appear to be getting a warm welcome from Congress, even among Democrats.
“Many have asked me ‘who is Jewish Voice for Peace?’ Their website says they are ‘proud to be part of the Palestinian-led global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement,’ which, by its founding avowals & principles, seeks to end Israel as a Jewish & democratic state,” Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) posted on X.
Many have asked me “who is Jewish Voice for Peace?” Their website says they are “proud to be part of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement,” which, by its founders’ admissions & tenets, seeks to end Israel as a Jewish & democratic state.
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) October 18, 2023
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) likened the rally to the Capitol riots of January 6, 2021.
“There’s an uprising going on right now on Capitol Hill,” Greene posted on X along with a video of him peering out the balcony of the Capitol Office complex at the protesters.
Protesters hold a rally demanding a cease-fire in Gaza in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building on October 18, 2023.Getty Images
Rep. Brandon Williams stands on anti-Israel protest, stands silently with Israeli flag over demonstration at Cannon House Office Building pic.twitter.com/BjZqODmWHs
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 18, 2023
An arrested protester is led out of the Capitol building by police.AP
“Prepare my mark. 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 on the balcony above hundreds of protesters protesting in the Cannon Building rotunda.
Capitol police kept a close eye on the activists as they chanted and clapped in hopes of getting Congress to call for a cease-fire.
Security measures taken ahead of the planned demonstration included a fence around the Capitol Building, an increased police presence, and guidance from the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms for lawmakers to stay indoors and use tunnels to cross the complex.
Biden visited Israel earlier on Wednesday, reaffirming US support for the Jewish state and warning against being too consumed with anger over the deadly shock of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
Police officers arrest protesters as they stage a demonstration inside the Capitol building.Getty Images Capitol police prepare for the demonstration ahead of time.REUTERS Members of Congress don’t seem to be very receptive to anti-Israel activists.REUTERS
The White House is expected to ask Congress to approve a massive aid package for Ukraine, Israel, Indo-Pacific countries, 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 could not be traced and some were allegedly held hostage by Hamas.
Capitol Police officers detained protesters outside the Capitol building on Wednesday. Getty Images Members of the US Jewish community are arrested as they protest Israel’s military operation in Gaza on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on October 18, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
