A pro-Palestinian demonstration is currently taking place on Capitol Hill, with protesters occupying the Cannon Rotunda and substantial crowds gathering around the Capitol complex.
The Cannon House Office Building accommodates numerous House Committee and congressional offices.
U.S. Capitol Police have stated that protests within Congressional buildings are prohibited and are taking measures to disperse the crowd. Several individuals have already been apprehended, amidst choruses of “ceasefire now” and “free Palestine” reverberating through the building.
Detained demonstrators were organized outside the building and are being transported to a temporary holding area within the Capitol complex.
The U.S. Capitol Police have also noted that additional protesters are congregating on the House side of the Capitol Complex. Due to this, temporary road closures are in effect for safety reasons.
The protest initially commenced on the National Mall and subsequently progressed towards the building located at Independence Ave. and New Jersey Ave., adjacent to the Capitol Building.
This Wednesday’s demonstration seems to be linked to the group Jewish Voice for Peace, which asserts that a minimum of 10,000 individuals are gathered outside the Capitol, with 500 occupying the Cannon building. They are demanding a ceasefire as a means to challenge the Israeli government’s ongoing policies they characterize as ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday a $100 million allocation for humanitarian aid in Gaza and the West Bank aimed at assisting displaced and conflict-affected Palestinians.
In his statement, Biden emphasized, “The vast majority of Palestinians are not Hamas,” and he underscored that Hamas does not serve as a representative body for the Palestinian people.
