The United States Capitol Police (USCP) arrested nearly 60 people on Tuesday for staging a protest in the U.S. Capitol’s rotunda, calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the agency confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Pro-Gaza protests have been frequently held at the U.S. Capitol complex since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, some of which have disrupted congressional proceedings. A group whose plans were known to USCP ahead of time began a protest in the Capitol Rotunda, the center of the complex, and were immediately arrested, USCP told the DCNF. (RELATED: Pro-Palestinian Protesters Arrested After Hundreds Swarm Capitol Office Building)
“We were aware of a group’s potential plan to take a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building and then start a protest. It is against the law to demonstrate inside the Congressional Buildings, so we brought in additional officers to be prepared for the moment the group would break the law,” the USCP’s Public Information Office told the DCNF. “The group was screened when they entered the building. Once they broke the law, roughly 60 people were immediately arrested.”
Protest in the U.S. Capitol calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and opposing military aid for Israel. USCP says around 60 arrested.
They joined tours and started chanting once they reached the rotunda, unfurling banners and lining up empty shoes for kids killed in Israeli strikes. pic.twitter.com/RLXH2H3RQl
— Alejandro Alvarez 🫡 (@aletweetsnews) December 19, 2023
Protesters have accused lawmakers of complicity in a “genocide” for their support of Israel. While lawmakers’ support for Israel’s self-defense has been bipartisan, several Democratic lawmakers have questioned the Israeli Defense Forces’ conduct during the war.
Matthew Graves, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, who oversees all criminal prosecutions in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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