Hundreds of demonstrators arrested in Cannon Rotunda for protesting Gaza war

U.S. Capitol Police arrested around 200 people protesting U.S. weapons sales to Israel inside the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building on Tuesday afternoon, just a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to speak to Congress.

The protest, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, a national Jewish anti-Zionist organization, included rabbis, students, Israeli Americans and descendants of Holocaust survivors. The group is “horrified and dismayed” that elected officials will meet with Netanyahu, said Sonya Meyerson-Knox, a group spokeswoman.

Inside the building at about 3 p.m., hundreds of protesters sang “let Gaza live” and “stop genocide” and sat in a circle around a banner that read “NO ONE IS FREE UNTIL EVERYONE IS FREE.” They wore red shirts that read “JEWS SAY STOP ARMING ISRAEL” and clapped as they sang “not in our name.” Protesters unfurled banners, including one that said: “TIKKUN OLAM = FREE PALESTINE,” referring to the Hebrew phrase that means to repair the world. Several protesters wore handmade prayer shawls with poppies, a national symbol for Palestinians, and the words “NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE.”

After about 20 minutes, Capitol Police told protesters to stop demonstrating. While some protesters left, many remained. About 10 minutes later, officers then began clearing the area, using zip ties to remove protesters from the rotunda. As Capitol Police officers zip-tied protesters, the group recited the Shema, a Jewish prayer, and chanted “free Palestine” and “let Gaza live.” By about 4:30, police had cleared out all the protesters from the rotunda.

“Demonstrations are not allowed inside the Congressional Buildings,” Capitol Police wrote on X. “We told the people, who legally entered, to stop or they would be arrested. They did not stop, so we are arresting them.”

The demonstration comes amid a crucial moment for U.S.-Israeli relations and Gaza cease-fire negotiations. Thousands of people are expected to rally on the National Mall on Wednesday to protest Netanyahu’s speech and demand an end to the war. Relatives of hostages also traveled to Washington this week to meet with officials, hold news conferences and rallies, and attend Netanyahu’s speech in hopes that they can persuade the prime minister to quickly sign a deal securing their loved ones’ release.

Many of the demonstrators Tuesday said they will be joining the anti-Netanyahu demonstration Wednesday but wanted to stage their own, separate protest focused on the Jewish people opposed to Netanyahu and sending arms to Israel. Demonstrators demanding an immediate cease-fire have been a hallmark in the District for months, protesting in the halls of Congress, outside leaders’ homes, in front of the White House and on city streets.

Among the protesters Tuesday afternoon was Benjamin Kersten, a 31-year-old doctoral student studying art history at the University of California at Los Angeles who arrived in the region on a red-eye flight Tuesday morning. Kersten, who is Jewish and was one of the leaders of the UCLA student encampment, said he wanted to make clear to politicians that Jewish safety is not synonymous with arming Israel. Instead, he called Netanyahu a “war criminal,” citing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the civilians, including children, who have been killed and injured.

“Our safety will come at a time when everyone will have the resources they need to thrive,” he said. “Our demand for a cease-fire is fundamentally rooted in the belief that all life is precious. So our call for a cease-fire is also a call for the safety of the hostages and a cessation of hostility.”

Rabbi Linda Holtzman, leader of the social justice community Tikkun Olam Chavurah in Philadelphia, said there is a “mass murder” happening in Gaza and believes the path to a cease-fire includes an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. Holtzman said that there needs to be a political decision about the future of Israel and that she hopes to see a future that Palestinians and Israelis can decide together.

“It’s incredibly important for me to be here as a rabbi and as a Jew because at the heart of Jewish tradition is the sanctity of life,” Holtzman said. “We can’t sit back and watch people being killed and not stand up. That feels, to me, like a serious anti-Jewish thing to do.”

The House and Senate office buildings and the U.S. Capitol were open to the public Tuesday, like most days, which means people could enter the buildings and pass through security. People are only arrested once they start to protest and continue to do so after police warn them to disperse, said Capitol Police spokesman Tim Barber.

“We see demonstrations almost daily on Capitol Hill. Many times people try to demonstrate inside the Congressional Buildings – which is illegal,” Barber said. “The moment they refuse to stop illegally demonstrating, we arrest them. This is so routine, even with mass arrests like today – a massive undertaking – our officers can quickly arrest and transport everyone to clear the area.”

During the demonstration, Rep. Daniel Kildee (D-Mich.) called Capitol Police after protesters outside the office “became disruptive, violently beating on the office doors, shouting loudly, and attempting to force entry into the office,” according to a statement from Mitchell Rivard, his chief of staff. The representative and his staff were safe and accounted for.

“As the Capitol Police moved our protesters out of the rotunda, people continued singing, chanting and making all possible noise to ensure our elected officials heard the message,” Meyerson-Knox, the spokeswoman for Jewish Voice for Peace, said in a statement. “Congressman Kildee was not the target of this demonstration.”

Hours after the demonstration in the Cannon building, relatives of hostages taken by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack gathered on the National Mall to call for their family members to be released. They chanted “bring them home now” and flew Israeli and American flags next to a sign that read “SEAL THE DEAL NOW” with the U.S. Capitol behind them.

“I’m begging Bibi Netanyahu, there is a deal on the table and you have to take it,” said Aviva Siegel, a former hostage who was released in November.

At the rally, Alon Gat spoke about his experience on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants took him, his wife Yarden Roman and their then-three-year-old old daughter Geffen into a car and drove them toward Gaza. The family decided to jump out of the car and run. Alon Gat ran with their daughter and remembers looking back and seeing his wife hiding behind a tree.

Yarden Roman was recaptured and released in the November deal. Alon Gat’s sister, Carmel Gat, was also taken that day and is still being held in Gaza.

“We know that there is one person that needs to decide that this deal needs to be sealed and this is Benjamin Netanyahu,” he said. “He needs to decide not to delay this deal. And we are here to remind him that.”