‘Free Palestine’ Chants Reverberate on Capitol
Massive Crowd Converge to Protest Netanyahu’s Address
WASHINGTON (Dispatches) − A large crowd chanting “free Palestine,” “stop bombing Gaza,” and “Netanyahu you can’t hide” gathered Wednesday outside the U.S. Capitol building to protest the visit of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to discourage Congress from further funding Israel’s war on Gaza.
Netanyahu was scheduled to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday afternoon. The invitation to speak has drawn criticism from pro-Palestinian advocates outraged by Israel’s Gaza invasion that health authorities there say has martyred almost 40,000 residents of the battered enclave.
Police officers from multiple agencies patrolled the area around the Capitol, and a helicopter flew overhead as the crowd, led by various speakers, chanted and waved Palestinian flags and signs.
Most of the protesters were wearing red shirts and wore black-and-white keffiyehs, the traditional Arab scarf that has become a symbol for Palestinians.
Conor Hammonds and his mother, Jackie Dyer, drove in from Baltimore to protest the war in Gaza. Dyer said the U.S. government’s support of the srael’s far-right government is a “desecration of what this country stands for.”
The protests began Tuesday, when Capitol Police said about 200 demonstrators were arrested inside the Cannon House Office Building. Protesters demonstrated outside Netanyahu’s hotel Tuesday night, chanting, waving Palestinian flags and projecting an image of Netanyahu onto the building captioned with the words “WANTED” and “ARREST NETANYAHU.”
A “diverse coalition” of more than 100 interns anonymously signed a letter denouncing Netanyahu’s visit.
Capitol Police, charged with safeguarding Congress and its buildings, closed roads around the U.S. Capitol and added more officers, including from outside agencies, to patrol and monitor the crowds.
Police said in a statement they expected a big crowd and warned that it was illegal to attempt to cross an established police line or barrier. The Metropolitan Police Department, which serves the city, also announced road closures, limited public parking and tightened security through most of the week. Some public tours were rerouted and police warned of traffic delays, citing the “dignitary visit.”
On Tuesday, a few hundred members of the group Jewish Voice for Peace descended on the rotunda of the Cannon House office building to protest the war and