WASHINGTON – Police detained “about 60” anti-Israel protesters inside the Capitol Rotunda Tuesday after a group led by controversial activist Linda Sarsour staged an illegal rally at the iconic venue.
“Not another nickel! Not a dime! No more money for Israeli crimes!” chanted members of the group, holding up “Stop Arming Israel” signs.
It is illegal to hold demonstrations inside the Capitol, although violators of the ban are inconsistently prosecuted by the DC US Attorney’s Office after being arrested.
“We are aware of the group’s potential plan to visit the US Capitol Building and then initiate a protest,” Capitol Police said in a statement.
“It is against the law to demonstrate inside the Congress Building, so we brought in extra officers to be ready when the group would break the law. The group is shown as they enter the building. As soon as they broke the law, about 60 people were immediately arrested [violating] DC Code § 22–1307 — Congestion, Obstruction, or Failure to Serve.”
The US Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether charges would be pursued against members of the group.
Police detained “about 60” anti-Israel protesters inside the Capitol Rotunda Tuesday after the group staged an illegal rally at the iconic venue. Reuters
The rare Rotunda protest drew criticism from conservatives, who likened it to the Capitol riots of January 6, 2021, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump. fight with the police inside the Rotunda as they interfered with the certification of his Electoral College defeat.
Commenter Rogan O’Handley, who runs the popular DC Draino account, tweeted: “Linda Sarsour and her anti-semitic gang are now rebelling [sic] Capitol[.] Will the DOJ lock them all up and throw them in the DC Gulag like the J6ers? Or do we not have equal justice in this country?”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) tweeted“Rebellion is happening now in the Capital City!! [sic] Is that Linda Sarsour leading the Pro-Hamas Anti-Israel rebels? Very serious ties to terrorists & Progressive Democrats if he is. Arrest them all and throw them in the DC gulag in solitary confinement like the J6’ers!”
Sarsour emerged as a prominent national activist as an organizer of the massive Women’s March the day after Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, but has drawn criticism, including from Democrats, for her stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
It is illegal to hold a demonstration inside the Capitol. REUTERS The rare Rotunda protest drew criticism from conservatives, who likened it to the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021. AP
Sarsour, the Brooklyn-born daughter of Palestinian immigrants, is a supporter of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which aims to build global economic pressure on the Jewish state.
He sparked outrage last month for mocking a “little poster” of hostages kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the terror group’s attacks in southern Israel on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people, including at least 33 Americans.
“The lack of compassion, the absence of empathy and the complete lack of even a shred of decency tells you all you need to know about him. Everything. It’s not only sad, it’s **prejudice** full stop,” tweeted Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League.
The ADL previously highlighted Sarsour’s “incendiary” statements like equating Zionism with “white supremacy in America” and for writing that “[n]there is something scarier than Zionism.”
Protesters are calling for a ceasefire and an end to US military funding in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. REUTERS “We are aware of a potential group plan to tour the US Capitol Building and then start a protest,” Capitol Police said in a statement. Reuters
Biden’s 2020 Presidential campaign distanced itself from Sarsour after he appeared at a breakout session of the Democratic National Convention, saying that “he clearly condemns his views and opposes BDS” and that “he has no role in the Biden campaign at all.”
MPower Change, the Muslim advocacy group of which Sarsour is executive director, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
House Republicans on Nov. 2 approved $14.3 billion in military aid for Israel, but the Democratic-controlled Senate did not approve the funding as it tried to attach more than $60 billion in aid proposed for Ukraine in its war against Russia, which faces greater opposition. in the public poll and among Republicans.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
