More than 100 people protesting Israel's retaliation for the Hamas terror attack were arrested Wednesday at the Cannon Office Building across from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, according to WUSA9 reporter Adam Longo.
Jointly organized by Jewish-led anti-occupation groups Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and IfNotNow, participants reportedly were demanding that congressional lawmakers pass a resolution calling for the United States to broker a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, Truthout reported.
Video posted to JVP's account on X, formerly Twitter, showed "hundreds of American Jews" holding a sit-in inside the Cannon Office Building rotunda. According to the JVP account, more than 350 people, including two rabbis, were inside waving banners and chanting, "Ceasefire now!" Thousands more protesters gathered outside.
Just after 3 p.m. Wednesday, the House sergeant-at-arms restricted access to House office buildings to members and staff only due to "First Amendment activities" on the grounds of the Capitol.
Citing U.S. Capitol Police, Fox 5 DC reporter Kenneth Moton reported on X that protesters "will be charged with illegally protesting inside a House office building. Three people have been charged with assaulting a police officer."
In a thread on X, JVP called ceasefire "the first step to stop the ongoing genocide by the Israeli military of the over 2 million Palestinians in besieged Gaza, unable to leave."
"What we know from past Israeli state atrocities against Palestinians is that the bombs only stop once there is a sufficient mass outcry from the international community," the group continued. "It's on us to build that outcry — as fast as we possibly can."
Longo reported that when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., appeared on the balcony of the Cannon Office Building, the crowd booed her and shouted, "Shame, shame shame!"
The arrested protesters, who were mainly Jews protesting the IDF attacks in Gaza, were expected to be taken off-site, issued citations, and released, according to Longo.
JVP has condemned Israeli and American leaders on its website for "dehumanizing Palestinians with vitriolic rhetoric that calls to mind the most hysterical days of [President George W.] Bush's war on terror."
"We know where this will lead: genocide," the group said on its website. "President [Joe] Biden and every American political leader must demand a ceasefire now."
"The Israeli government is on the brink of genocide against Palestinians," Jay Saper, a JVP member, said in a press release. "It has never been more important for Jews and all people in the U.S. to rise up with literally everything we have — the way that we would have wanted others to rise up for our ancestors."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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