More than 50 protesters were arrested on Friday while calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war both inside and outside the offices of several prominent U.S. senators.
U.S. Capitol Police detained and charged at least 52 protesters for illegally demonstrating in Senate buildings, near where the offices of Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) are located. Democratic Senators Sanders, Warren, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Ben Cardin of Marlyand, Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, and Alex Padilla of California, all of whom are either Jewish or strong defenders of Israel, were also reportedly targeted by the sit-in demonstrations.
‼️ACTION UPDATE‼️ This morning, activists gathered at the offices of Senators Warren, Sanders, Merkleu, Schatz, and Van Hollen to demand a #CeasefireNOW
Keep pressuring politicians: the U.S. needs to #StopArmingIsrael. pic.twitter.com/zW9q24AAFy
— #DefendMasaferYatta USCPR (@USCPR_) November 3, 2023
Last month, an estimated 300 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were arrested for protesting inside the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building.
Capitol Police spokeswoman Brianna Burch said the latest protests occurred in several Senate office buildings, but she did not specify the locations due to safety reasons. However, various social-media videos and posts revealed where the protesters congregated.
Washington, D.C. – “Cease fire” protesters get arrested outside Sen. Bernie Sanders office for demonstrating against the war in Gaza. Demonstrations are not allowed in House and Senate office buildings, November 3, 2023. #ewtnnews #catholic #catholicism #catholicchurch… pic.twitter.com/ttH8XXpyNt
— Anthony Peltier (@_anthonypeltier) November 3, 2023
“From #Palestine to the #Phillipines, stop the U.S. war machine!”
Sit-in for a #FreePalestineNow at @SenMarkey‘s office in DC!#GazaGenocide #FreeGaza #EndTheSiegeOnGazaNow #StopArmingIsrael @janschakowsky @SeanCasten @RepCasten pic.twitter.com/b6YLTN41kj
— US Palestinian Community Network (@uspcn) November 3, 2023
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry claimed Thursday that over 9,000 people have died in Gaza since the war began. Among them were more than 3,600 children and 2,300 women, it said, without differentiating between the deaths of civilians and terrorists.
The Jewish state waged a war with the militant group nearly a month ago after 1,400 Israeli citizens died in the initial October 7 invasion.
The coordinated protests come as a major pro-Palestinian rally is scheduled for Saturday in Washington, D.C. Organizers estimated as many as 30,000 people could be in attendance, according to a permit issued by the National Park Service. With the endorsement of over 350 organizations, the “National March on Washington: Free Palestine!” is expected to be the largest Palestinian-solidarity march in U.S. history.