Demonstrators protesting shutdown arrested outside McConnell’s office
A group of demonstrators were arrested Wednesday after holding a sit-in outside an office for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to protest the partial government shutdown.
Video posted on social media showed several people sitting and repeatedly chanting “stop the shutdown” and “we need a paycheck” outside McConnell’s office in the Russell Senate Office Building.
The protesters were later shown being zip-tied and detained by Capitol Police officers. Chants of “we want to work” and “where is Mitch?” could be heard as individuals were escorted out of the building.
CNN reported that 12 protesters, including union leaders, were arrested during the demonstrations.{mosads}
The individuals were arrested for “unlawfully demonstrating,” a Capitol Police spokesperson told the network.
Protesters sat outside of McConnell’s office after being denied a meeting with the GOP leader, The Washington Post reported.
A spokesperson for McConnell, who primarily works at his office at the U.S. Capitol, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
The protest occurred on the 33rd day of the partial government shutdown, which has impacted hundreds of thousands of federal workers around the country.
Union leaders from the National Federation of Federal Employees helped lead sit-ins Wednesday outside the Senate offices of lawmakers they feel are responsible for keeping the government closed, according to the Post.
The protest was meant to showcase the negative effect the shutdown has had on federal employees. Among other things, the demonstrators held a 33-minute silent protest at the Hart Senate Office Building to signify 33 days of a government shutdown.
The protesters also held paper plates with messages written on them such as “open the government” and “federal workers are going hungry.”
The plates were meant to symbolize that some workers can’t feed their families without pay, according to reports.
After the silent protest, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National President J. David Cox and other union leaders marched to McConnell’s office, according to footage posted by the group.
The government shutdown was triggered on Dec. 22 after Congress failed to reach an agreement on a new spending bill. President Trump has demanded that any bill include funds for a wall along the southern border, a proposal that Democrats oppose.