WASHINGTON – Police arrested “approximately 60” anti-Israel protesters inside the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday after a group led by controversial activist Linda Sarsour staged an illegal demonstration at the iconic location.
“Not one more cent! Not a penny more! No more money for Israel’s crimes! chanted members of the group, holding “Stop arming Israel” signs.
It is illegal to hold demonstrations inside the Capitol, although violators of the ban are inconsistently prosecuted by the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office after being arrested.
“We were aware of a group’s potential plan to tour the United States Capitol building and then initiate a protest,” Capitol Police said in a statement.
“It is illegal to demonstrate inside congressional buildings, so we brought in additional officers to be prepared for the moment the group breaks the law. The group was screened when they entered the building. Once they violated the law, approximately 60 people were immediately arrested for [violating] DC Code § 22–1307: Crowding, obstruction or nuisance.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether charges will be filed against members of the group.
Police arrested “approximately 60” anti-Israel protesters inside the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday after a group staged an illegal demonstration at the landmark. REUTERS
The rare Rotunda protest drew condemnation from conservatives, who compared it to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump fought with the police inside the Rotunda as they interrupted the certification of his Electoral College defeat.
Commentator Rogan O’Handley, who operates the popular DC Draino account, tweeted: “Linda Sarsour and her band of anti-Semites are now insurrection [sic] The capitol[.] Will the Justice Department lock them all up and throw them in the DC Gulag like the J6ers? Or do we not have equal justice in this country?
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) tweeted“Insurrection happening now in the capital!! [sic] Is Linda Sarsour the leader of the pro-Hamas anti-Israel insurrectionists? Very serious links to terrorists and progressive democrats if it comes to her. Arrest them all and throw them in the DC gulag in solitary confinement like the J6’s!
Sarsour emerged as a prominent national activist as an organizer of the massive Women’s March a day after Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, but she has drawn criticism, including from Democrats, for her stance on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
It is illegal to hold demonstrations inside the Capitol. REUTERS The rare Rotunda protest generated condemnation from conservatives, who compared it to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. AP
Sarsour, the Brooklyn-born daughter of Palestinian immigrants, is an advocate of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which seeks to generate global economic pressure on the Jewish state.
Last month he sparked outrage for ridiculing “small posters” of hostages held by Hamas terrorists during the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people, including at least 33 Americans.
“The lack of compassion, the absence of empathy and the complete deficit of even a glimmer of decency tells you everything you need to know about her. Absolutely everything. It’s not just pathetic, it’s **prejudice** and that’s it.” tweeted Jonathan Greenblatt, executive director of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League.
The ADL previously highlighted “inflammatory” comments from Sarsour, such as comparing Zionism to “white supremacy in America” and writing that “[n]There is nothing more horrifying than Zionism.”
Protesters are calling for a ceasefire and an end to US military funding in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. REUTERS “We were aware of a group’s potential plan to tour the US Capitol building and then start a protest,” Capitol Police said in a statement. REUTERS
President Biden’s 2020 campaign distanced itself from Sarsour after she appeared at a session of the Democratic National Convention, saying that “he obviously condemns her views and opposes BDS” and that “she has no role in Biden’s campaign.”
MPower Change, a Muslim advocacy group of which Sarsour is executive director, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
House Republicans approved $14.3 billion in military aid to Israel on Nov. 2, but the Democratic-controlled Senate has not approved the funding as it tries to attach more than $60 billion in proposed aid to Ukraine to its war against Russia, which faces greater opposition. in public polls and among Republicans.
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