Protesters arrested in congressional building ahead of Netanyahu address

The U.S. Capitol Police said it arrested a group of pro-Palestinian protestors who occupied the Cannon Rotunda on Tuesday, a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to deliver an address to Congress.

“We are arresting a group that is illegally demonstrating inside the Cannon Rotunda. Demonstrations are not allowed inside the Congressional Buildings,” the Capitol Police said in a post on the social platform X Tuesday afternoon.

“We told the people, who legally entered, to stop or they would be arrested. They did not stop, so we are arresting them.”

Rep. Dan Kildee’s chief of staff, Mitchell Rivard, said in a statement that the Michigan Democrat’s office called U.S. Capitol Police for assistance due to large demonstrations in the office building.

“Hundreds of protesters outside the office became disruptive, violently beating on the office doors, shouting loudly, and attempting to force entry into the office,” Rivard said in the statement. 

“The U.S. Capitol Police and Sergeant at Arms responded immediately to the incident and have made several arrests. Congressman Kildee is safe and his staff are all accounted for.”

Kildee has been among a growing number of Democrats calling on the Biden administration to withhold offensive weapons to Israel over the continuing bloodshed in Gaza.

“I am gravely concerned with the growing loss of human life in the Middle East and the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” Kildee said in an April statement. “Israeli military strikes have already killed thousands of innocent civilians and displaced over a million people.”

Netanyahu is set to give a speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday amid intense anger from the left over his handling of Israel’s war against Hamas. Many Democrats have announced that they will boycott the speech.

Vice President Harris will not preside over the joint session due to pre-existing travel plans, according to her office.

Capitol Police posted to X around 4:30 p.m. that the rotunda was clear of demonstrators, and said it would “provide number of arrests tonight when we get the final number.”