About 200 arrested in Cannon Rotunda for protesting Gaza war

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About 200 arrested in Cannon Rotunda for protesting Gaza war

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/07/23/dc-protest-israel-gaza-war-jewish/


The protest comes a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to speak to Congress.


y Ellie Silverman
Updated July 23, 2024 at 9:42 p.m. EDT|Published July 23, 2024 at 4:14 p.m. EDT

U.S. Capitol Police arrested around 200 people protesting U.S. weapons sales to Israel inside the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building on Tuesday afternoon, just a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to speak to Congress.

The protest, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, a national Jewish anti-Zionist organization, included rabbis, students, Israeli Americans and descendants of Holocaust survivors. The group is “horrified and dismayed” that elected officials will meet with Netanyahu, said Sonya Meyerson-Knox, a group spokeswoman.

Inside the building at about 3 p.m., hundreds of protesters sang “let Gaza live” and “stop genocide” and sat in a circle around a banner that read “NO ONE IS FREE UNTIL EVERYONE IS FREE.” They wore red shirts that read “JEWS SAY STOP ARMING ISRAEL” and clapped as they sang “not in our name.” Protesters unfurled banners, including one that said: “TIKKUN OLAM = FREE PALESTINE,” referring to the Hebrew phrase that means to repair the world. Several protesters wore handmade prayer shawls with poppies, a national symbol for Palestinians, and the words “NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE.”

After about 20 minutes, Capitol Police told protesters to stop demonstrating. While some protesters left, many remained. About 10 minutes later, officers then began clearing the area, using zip ties to remove protesters from the rotunda. As Capitol Police officers zip-tied protesters, the group recited the Shema, a Jewish prayer, and chanted “free Palestine” and “let Gaza live.” By about 4:30, police had cleared out all the protesters from the rotunda.....................






https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=&w=916
Hundreds of Jewish demonstrators and others protest the war in Gaza on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. (Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post)