U.S. Capitol Police arrested around 300 people who had assembled inside the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill as part of a pro-Palestinian protest.
Crowds of people were captured on video footage as they protested inside of the rotunda of the building calling upon Congress to pass a cease-fire resolution amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The demonstration was organized by two progressive Jewish groups, Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow. About 400 members from the groups and 25 rabbis assembled together inside the rotunda of the building in support of Palestinians, according to The New York Times.
“Where there is no justice, I have to be a voice for justice,” Rabbi Linda Holtzman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania told the outlet.
U.S. Capitol Police arrested about 300 people who were protesting inside the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building to demand that Congress pass a cease-fire resolution in the Israel-Gaza war amid an intensifying humanitarian crisis. https://t.co/JKi7SM4CY3 pic.twitter.com/SvC1WQvXsC
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 19, 2023
Another protester, 77-year-old, Jim Best who described himself as a gay, “red-blooded, patriotic taxpayer and grandfather” spoke about how a trip to Gaza in 2016 had tugged strongly on him, according to the outlet.
“My heart and mind and soul will never be the same,” Best told the outlet.
The Capitol police wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that a “group of protesters” was demonstrating inside the Cannon Rotunda.
“Demonstrations are not allowed inside Congressional Buildings,” the Capitol police wrote in their post.
A group of protesters are demonstrating inside the Cannon Rotunda. Demonstrations are not allowed inside Congressional Buildings. pic.twitter.com/pZHKqSpjoL
— The U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) October 18, 2023
“We warned the protesters to stop demonstrating and when they did not comply we began arresting them,” Capitol police added.
The Capitol police revealed that among the people who had been arrested, three were “arrested and charged with Assault on a Police Officer during processing.”
A spokesperson for the Capitol police confirmed to NBC Washington that “close to 300” people who had been involved in the demonstration were in custody.
Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, firing thousands of rockets and leaving more than 250 people at a music festival near the Gaza border dead.
Since the attack, at least 1,400 people-almost all from that same day-have been confirmed dead, including 30 Americans. Civilians, including babies and children, were tortured to death at the hands of the Hamas terrorists during the attacks.