Activists with the group United We Dream lie down in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill as part of a demonstration Thursday. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
U.S. Capitol Police arrested 13 people who were protesting Thursday inside the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building to demand a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Gaza war and protections for immigrants in the United States.
The demonstrators were arrested under a D.C. code that prohibits crowding, obstructing or incommoding, which is often cited in the arrest of protesters, said Brianna Burch, a Capitol Police spokeswoman.
The demonstration was organized by United We Dream, an advocacy network led by immigrant youths, and Adalah Justice Project, a Palestinian-led advocacy organization. Protesters demanded an end to U.S. weapon sales to Israel, as well as the creation of pathways to citizenship for immigrants in the United States. They also called for “permanent protections that give people the freedom to move, to stay and to thrive,” said Bruna Sollod, a United We Dream spokesperson.
The demonstration came days after the Senate passed a $95 billion national security package to aid Israel, Ukraine and other U.S. allies.
“The ongoing negotiations on the supplemental spending package have highlighted just how dispensable our immigrant, Palestinian, Black and brown communities are to President Biden and members of Congress,” Sandra Tamari, the executive director of Adalah Justice Project, said in a news release. “Palestinian and immigrant youth are uniting to demand that Congress get its priorities straight and listen to their base by calling for an immediate ceasefire and protecting life here at home and abroad.”
The Washington Post
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