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US Capitol Police arrest dozens of Jewish activists calling for Gaza ceasefire

Updated Oct 18, 2023, 5:27pm EDT
politicsNorth America
US Capitol protest
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
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The News

U.S. Capitol Police on Wednesday arrested dozens of demonstrators who made their way into a House office building as part of a protest by Jewish activists calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The number of arrests are unclear, but some reports said there were more than 100.

Police said that three people arrested were facing a charge of Assault on a Police Officer.

Footage from inside the Cannon House Office Building shows protesters waving signs that read “ceasefire” and chanting “Not in our name.”

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Some members of Congress had been calling for the arrest of the protesters after they entered the House office building, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who on X, described the demonstration as an ”insurrection.”

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Pro-Palestine protesters have taken to Washington over the last several days as the war between Israel and Hamas escalates.

More than 30 people who were part of a pro-Palestine demonstration were arrested outside the White House on Monday, according to the Secret Service.

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During his trip to Israel, U.S. President Joe Biden was firm in his support for Israel, calling on Congress for a support package to the country and backing Israel’s account of the deadly Gaza hospital explosion. He has not echoed calls of a ceasefire from some progressive Democrats, and the U.S. on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a “humanitarian pause” in the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

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