The Cannon House Office Building holds various House Committees and congressional offices. By 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, its rotunda was packed with protestors calling for "free Palestine" and an immediate ceasefire.
Capitol Police told the protesters that the activity was not permitted inside Congressional buildings.
The police said they arrested around 300 people overall. The arrested protestors were assembled outside the building and transported to a temporary holding area in the Capitol complex.
Capitol Police said demonstrators inside the Cannon Rotunda will be charged with illegally demonstrating inside a House office building. At least three other individuals were charged with assaulting a police officer.
"Civil disobedience is part of how we get messages across, and we need the Congress to hear, we need the president to hear. I feel that [President Joe Biden] needs to stand up and help facilitate a cease-fire so no more people die," a protestor named Louisa said while her hands were secured with zip-tie handcuffs.
Protest organized by Jewish American peace activists
The protest was organized by the organization known as the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). One member of the JVP said the sit-in at the Cannon Rotunda was planned about three days in advance. (Related: Jews against GENOCIDE: Protestors amass around home of NY Sen. Chuck Schumer to call for CEASEFIRE in Israel-Hamas war.)
Capitol Police watched the situation as more protesters assembled around the House side of the Capitol complex through the afternoon and evening hours.
For safety, they created temporary rolling road closures and only allowed Capitol staff and employees to enter and exit in certain areas.
The protest started at the National Mall around noon and ultimately made its way to the Cannon building, which is located at Independence Ave. and New Jersey Ave. close to the Capitol building.
Fencing increased overnight around portions of the U.S. Capitol prior to the protest organized by the JVP, but the protestors were able to find their way into the building. By 3 p.m., it was filled with JVP members in black t-shirts reading "Jews say ceasefire now!"
JVP claimed on social media that no less than 10,000 people were outside the Capitol while 500 fought their way inside the rotunda, all there to "challenge the Israeli government's ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians."
After the protests on Capitol Hill ended, another showed up in the evening hours outside the Israeli Embassy Washington, D.C.
Barriers encircled the embassy and a group of police stood between it and the crowd marked with the red, black, white and green colors of the Palestinian flag.
President Joe Biden was already in Israel when the protests unfurled. Biden flew to Israel on Tuesday, Oct. 17, to start a series of discussions with Israeli, Jordanian, Egyptian and Palestinian leaders.
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Watch the video below about the recent Washington, D.C. march for Palestine.
This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.
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