Protest for Gaza cease-fire leads to 49 arrests in Senate Office Building

By FOX 5 DC Digital Team
Published  December 11, 2023 5:58pm EST
FOX 5 DC
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WASHINGTON - More than 40 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested at the Hart Senate Office Building on Monday by U.S. Capitol Police officers. 

The group was calling for a cease-fire in Gaza while illegally demonstrating inside the Congressional space. 

A Capitol Police spokesperson said that the demonstrators arrived just after 10 a.m., and at one point during the rally, one person climbed a statue in the atrium. That man, officials said, was charged with resisting arrest. 

Hundreds arrested after Pro-Palestinian demonstrators flood Cannon Rotunda, Capitol complex

Hundreds were arrested Wednesday after pro-Palestinian protests broke out on Capitol Hill, with demonstrators flooding into the Cannon House Office Building and large crowds gathering with flags and signs around the Capitol complex.

A total of 49 people were arrested and charged with crowding, obstructing, or incommoding. 

Officers could be seen using zip ties to restrain the protesters as they carried them away.

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Protesters at Union Station demand ceasefire in Gaza

As war continues in Gaza, protesters are making their voices heard in Washington D.C. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal reports from the rally at Union Station.

Jewish Elders for Palestinian Freedom shared a message via X that 18 Jewish elders chained themselves to the White House gates to demand the U.S. stop funding and arming the genocide in Gaza. 

"As elders, our hearts are shattered watching the Israeli military murder thousands of Palestinians, destroying families and lives. Everyone should be able to grow old like we have. We chained ourselves to the White House to demand a permanent cease-fire in Gaza now," the organization posted on X. U.S. Park Police told FOX 5 they issued 18 citations and the demonstrators cleared the area.

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 11: A protester climbs down a ladder from the "Mountains and Clouds" sculpture inside the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building on December 11, 2023 in Washington, DC. The protester climbed the sculpture during a demonstration with pro-Palestinian activists on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 11: United States Capitol Police arrest a protester after he climbed down the "Mountains and Clouds" sculpture inside the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building on December 11, 2023 in Washington, DC. The protester climbed the sculpture during a demonstration with pro-Palestinian activists on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 11: United States Capitol Police arrest a protester after he climbed down the "Mountains and Clouds" sculpture inside the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building on December 11, 2023 in Washington, DC. The protester climbed the sculpture during a demonstration with pro-Palestinian activists on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 11: DC Firefighters arrive with a ladder to assist in the removal of a protester atop the "Mountains and Clouds" sculpture inside the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building on December 11, 2023 in Washington, DC. The protester climbed the sculpture during a demonstration with pro-Palestinian activists on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 11: DC Firefighters arrive with a ladder to assist in the removal of a protester atop the "Mountains and Clouds" sculpture inside the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building on December 11, 2023 in Washington, DC. The protester climbed the sculpture during a demonstration with pro-Palestinian activists on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The United States has provided support to Israel in recent days by vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire. The Biden Administration also pushed through an emergency sale of over $100 million worth of tank ammunition to Israel.