Video: Police And Protesters Clash Outside Democratic HQ Following A Candlelight Vigil Calling For Ceasefire In Israel-Hamas Conflict

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Related: Congressional Staffers Hold Vigil At Capitol Hill & “Demand” Their Leaders Call For A Ceasefire

Right now our officers are working to keep back approximately 150 people who are illegally and violently protesting in the area of Canal Street and Ivy Street, SE. Officers are making arrests. All Members have been evacuated from the area. Please stay away from the area. pic.twitter.com/qHcpyYexjm

— The U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) November 16, 2023

Per 22–2752 Code of the District of Columbia it is unlawful for a person, as part of a group of 3 or more persons, to target a residence for purposes of a demonstration between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. while wearing a mask; or without having provided the Metropolitan Police Department notification of the location and approximate time of the demonstration.

The DNC Headquarters is located in a residential area.

While the vigil began prior to 10 p.m. EST as indicated by the Jewish Voice for Peace’s Instagram post below, TSR hasn’t been able to independently confirm if proper notification was given nor the time police started to intervene and confront the protesters.

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A post shared by Jewish Voice for Peace Action (@jvpaction)

“It is shameful the way that nonviolent protesters and members of our community were met with violence tonight,” said Dani Noble, who came from Philadelphia for the demonstration. “It is absolutely shameful.”

Noble said police, some of whom were wearing riot gear, started “pulling on folks that are disabled or have chronic illnesses, pulling people to the ground.”

Inside the Democratic headquarters, police rushed into the reception and directed lawmakers to the basement, according to Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif. Some were later evacuated in police vehicles.

Capitol Police said six officers were treated for minor injuries and one protester was arrested for assaulting an officer. Video posted on social media showed shoving and scuffling as police moved in.

The Metropolitan Police Department said its officers also responded to the disturbance. Congressional staffers received an alert telling them no one would be permitted to enter or exit any House office buildings, but authorities later reopened the entrances.

Sherman accused protesters of trying to break into the Democratic headquarters in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. However, protesters denied that was their intention.

The protest was organized by a coalition of groups, including If Not Now and Jewish Voice for Peace Action, that have spearheaded other demonstrations in Washington and elsewhere.

Wednesday’s clashes were the latest example of roiling tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas.

Last week, a large number of House Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in voting to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, over her criticism of the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians. Tlaib, who has family in the West Bank, came under heavy criticism for not immediately condemning Hamas after the attack. She since has called out the militant group while also calling for a cease-fire.

President Joe Biden has also faced increasing pressure from the Democratic Party’s left flank over his support for Israel’s military operation. He has resisted calls for a cease-fire, instead saying there should be pauses in the fighting to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the potential extraction of hostages.

Among the participants Wednesday night was Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg, who interrupted Biden’s speech at a recent fundraiser in Minneapolis.

She said Democrats are “not listening to the people who they claim to represent,” adding that “actions like this are only going to increase.”

“We are not slowing down,” she said. “The call for a ceasefire is going to keep growing. And our representatives need to take action, yesterday.”

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Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri, Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro and Michael Balsamo contributed to this report in addition to TSR Staff.