Protesters occupy the US Congress building to demand a ceasefire in Gaza

At least a hundred protesters occupied the US Congress building on Wednesday, pressing elected officials and the Biden administration for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Wearing black T-shirts emblazoned with “Jews Now Say Ceasefire” and “Not in Our Name,” they sat in the rotunda of the Canaan Building, clapping and singing, and brandishing large banners proclaiming “Ceasefire” and “Leave.” Gaza Live”.

Capitol police arrested several protesters. “Protests are not allowed inside Congress buildings,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “We warned the protesters that they should stop the demonstration and when they did not comply, we started arresting them,” he added. The demonstration was organized at the invitation of the Jewish Voice for Peace movement. Before some of them marched to the Cannon Building, hundreds gathered on the National Mall near the Capitol to urge the Biden administration to plead for a ceasefire. “Biden is the only one who has the power to put pressure on Israel right now, and he needs to use that power to save innocent lives,” said Hannah Lawrence, 32, of Vermont. “If I send a message to the president, I’ll say, ‘Open your eyes,’ look at what’s happening in Gaza, if you want to look in the mirror, you have to stand up and stop the genocide,” said Rabbi Linda Holtzman, 71, of Philadelphia.