Close to 150 Protesters Demanding Ceasefire Arrested on Capitol Hill

By Al Mayadeen English

17 Jan 2024 00:04

Mennonite Action, a grassroots movement, protested in the Cannon House Office building on Capitol Hill while in demand of a ceasefire in Gaza.

Mennonite Action, a grassroots movement, stated on Tuesday that over 150 people were detained in the Cannon House Office building on Capitol Hill while demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

In an X post, the movement reported that “A group of about 150 Mennonites were arrested today in the Cannon building in an act of peaceful civil disobedience, singing hymns and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. As the Capitol Police made arrests, we never stopped singing."

Regular protests continue to take place on Capitol Hill in demand of a ceasefire in Gaza with various groups like American Muslims for Palestine, Students for Justice in Palestine, IfNotNow, and Jewish Voice for Peace participating.

In October, more than 1,000 Jewish participants, among others, urged US lawmakers to adopt a resolution supporting a ceasefire in the war on Gaza.

In November, Washington DC witnessed a clash between US Capitol police officers and pro-Palestine protesters outside the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters calling on lawmakers to back a ceasefire in Gaza and end the genocide by "Israel" on Gaza. 

Three advocacy groups organized the protest, including IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace Action, who took to X to say they were "assaulted" even though they stated their protest was "nonviolent". 

"We were peacefully linking arms, singing, and calling for a ceasefire," IfNotNow posted, adding, "Then Capitol Police rushed in, threw us down the stairs, and pepper sprayed us."

'Israel' has committed 2000 massacres in 100 days

For 100 days, the Israeli occupation has been deliberately wiping out residential neighborhoods over the heads of their inhabitants, across the Gaza Strip, aiming to extinguish life in the region.

On Sunday, Ashraf al-Qudra, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, provided a detailed account of the victims of the Israeli brutal aggression and genocide against the people of Palestine in Gaza, marking the 100th day of the genocide.\

The toll of the Israeli aggression to over 24,000 martyrs and 60,582 injuries since October 7, 2023. It is important to note that these numbers do not include missing persons. Furthermore, the ministry said that 70% of the victims have reportedly been children and women. In total, the occupation committed over 2,000 massacres against Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip.

Additionally, the occupation, through bombing and destruction, forced approximately 2 million Palestinians to flee in harsh conditions, facing the risk of famine, the spread of diseases, and epidemics, according to the spokesperson for health in Gaza.