WASHINGTON DC (WSAU) – Pro-Hamas protestors entered the Cannon House Office Building on Wednesday in the afternoon, holding a sit-in on the floor and chanting, according to the Post Millennial. They refused to leave and demanded that Congress order a cease-fire in Gaza.
The outlet also reported that many of those gathered wore t-shirts with the words “not in our name” on the front and “Jews say cease-fire now” on the back. They carried placards that read, “Let Gaza Live,” and “Ceasefire.”
The scene in the Cannon House Office Building rotunda on Capitol Hill as Hamas sympathizers chant under a banner calling for a “CEASEFIRE.” Of note, demonstrations are not allowed in congressional buildings, per Capitol Police. pic.twitter.com/9RcCIjUzud
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) October 18, 2023
Jewish Voices for Peace identify themselves as “Jews organizing toward Palestinian liberation and Judaism beyond Zionism.”
According to a notice from the House Sergeant at Arms, “Due to First Amendment activities on Capitol Grounds, all pedestrian entry points to the House Office Buildings are restricted to Member and Staff ONLY.”
US Capitol Police wrote on X, “A group of protesters are demonstrating inside the Cannon Rotunda. Demonstrations are not allowed inside Congressional Buildings. We warned the protestors to stop demonstrating and when they did not comply we began arresting them.”
Rep. Brandon Williams was seen holding an Israeli flag above the protestors in the Cannon building.
Rep Brandon Williams standing above the anti-Israel protest, standing silently with an Israeli flag above the demonstration in the Cannon House Office Building pic.twitter.com/BjZqODmWHs
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 18, 2023
This protest follows a riot in Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday in which pro-Palestine rioters threw rocks at law enforcement and two explosive devices were thrown at a synagogue.
The riots happening at the U.S Capitol today and in Berlin are caused by reports that an Israeli rocket had hit a hospital, potentially killing hundreds of innocent civilians. Those reports were debunked on Wednesday after U.S. intelligence reports and IDF video evidence provided footage of a rocket fired by Hamas from the Gaza Strip that landed in the area of the hospital.
“While we continue to collect information, our current assessment, based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open-source information, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday,” said Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council.
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