Pro-Palestinian demonstrators swarm on Capitol Hill, demand Gaza ceasefire as police arrest protesters
Pro-Palestinian protesters swarmed on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators swarmed the Cannon Rotunda on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, with hundreds of protesters demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Footage from inside the Cannon Office Building showed a large group chanting "Ceasefire Now!" and calling for Congress to demand the fighting stop in Israel. The protesters were spotted wearing black T-shirts reading, "Jews Say Ceasefire Now!"
The group Jewish Voice for Peace said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that "over 350" demonstrators," including two dozen rabbis, were inside the large rotunda while thousands of others protested outside.
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U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) said demonstrations are not allowed inside congressional buildings and worked to clear the crowd. In an X post, USCP warned the protesters to stop demonstrating and "when they did not comply we began arresting them."
USCP told Fox News that approximately 300 demonstrators were arrested in the protest on Capitol Hill, including at least three who were charged with assault on a police officer during the demonstrations.
USCP also confirmed to Fox News that demonstrators inside the Cannon Rotunda will be charged with illegally protesting inside a House office building.
At 6 p.m., authorities said that the rotunda is clear of illegal protesters and that USCP is processing the arrests.
USCP also said more protesters are walking in the roadway around the House side of the Capitol Complex, and they have begun temporary rolling road closures for safety.
"A large group of protesters are walking in the roadway around the House side of the Capitol Complex," USCP wrote in an X post. "For safety reasons, we have temporary rolling road closures in effect."
More than 30 protesters were arrested in front of the White House on Monday and over the weekend, thousands of pro-Palestinian activists took to the streets of the nation's capital to advocate for a cease-fire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hamas militant group.
Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
