Washington DC – The rotunda of an office building in the U.S. Capitol complex was filled within minutes with hundreds of people who appeared out of nowhere as part of a surprise protest against Israel's war in Gaza.
“Let Gaza live,” they chanted in unison inside the Cannon House office building, removing their outer garments to reveal matching red T-shirts.
On one side of the shirt was written: “Jews say stop arming Israel.” On the other side: “Not in our name.”
Tuesday's coordinated protest, led by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), surprised congressional staff and law enforcement officers as it was organized in a matter of minutes.
But the crackdown began almost immediately after protesters gathered. Capitol Police quickly declared the area closed and arrested hundreds of protesters who refused to leave.
“This is a historic moment where we must say that we stood up for Palestinian freedom. We stood up to end this genocide,” said protester Liv Kunins-Berkowitz.
“Many of us are descendants of survivors of ethnic cleansing and genocide. Our ancestors and grandparents taught us that the worst thing to do in these moments is to be a bystander.”
Kunins-Berkowitz added that the protest was part of a tradition of peaceful civil disobedience. “This is what we have to do when our government refuses to listen to the people,” she told Al Jazeera.
The Capitol demonstration comes a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress at the invitation of top lawmakers from both major parties.
The Netanyahu government has overseen more than nine months of death and devastation in Gaza, with experts and human rights advocates warning of “genocide” in the Palestinian territory.
Since the war began, the Israeli offensive has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children.
However, the US government has remained steadfast in its support for Israel.
President Joe Biden's administration has authorized more than $14 billion in military aid to Israel, while maintaining a steady flow of weapons and bombs.
The United States has also vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions that would have called for a ceasefire.
Biden called for an end to the war in May as part of a deal that would see the release of Israeli captives in Gaza, but has pressed ahead with his support for Israel as the country's leaders pledge to fight on until “total victory.”
Abby Stein, a rabbi and activist, said that while U.S. officials are “paying lip service” to the ceasefire, protesters are calling for a real end to the war and an arms embargo against Israel.
“I know that none of us will be safe as long as the United States sends billions of dollars worth of weapons to Israel,” Stein told Al Jazeera.
“This is one of the worst atrocities we are witnessing before our eyes. We are here today to make sure that we do everything we can to stop it.”
Progressive Jewish groups have been organizing protests across the country, including a similar demonstration at the Capitol in October last year, as well as demonstrations on highways, inside train stations and at political offices.
Asked whether such direct action is effective, Stein was emphatic: “Yes.”
He argued that the protests raise awareness about the situation in Gaza and give exposure to the protesters' demands.
“I think it definitely helps,” Stein added. “The action that took place in October is a good example. It really put us in the media to show that there are tens of thousands of Jews who oppose what the Israeli government is doing.”
Activist Tal Frieden said that as the grandson of Holocaust survivors, he grew up hearing stories about the importance of ensuring that genocide never happens again. “I am here today to demand that the US stop sending weapons to Israel,” he told Al Jazeera.
At Tuesday's protest, demonstrators stood their ground and refused to leave as their fellow activists risked arrest.
Law enforcement officers acted quickly and removed banners denouncing “genocide” in Gaza.
Then they started arresting people from the outer edges, making the circle of activists smaller, as if they were peeling it back layer by layer.
For more than an hour, officers progressively detained activists and led them to an elevator away from the rotunda and into the underground corridors of Congress.
Many protesters, bound with cable ties, continued to chant “Stop arming Israel” and “Liberate, liberate Palestine” as they were led away. But the chants grew fainter as the last demonstrators retreated.
“We are arresting a group unlawfully demonstrating inside the Canyon Rotunda. Demonstrations are not permitted inside congressional buildings,” Capitol Police said in a statement.
“We told the people who came in legally to stop or they would be arrested. They didn’t stop, so we are arresting them.”
A JVP organiser told Al Jazeera that the group was told the protesters “are being prosecuted and released on their own recognizance with a charge and fine”, suggesting they will not face charges.
JVP said 400 people were arrested, but Capitol Police have not released official numbers.
“For nine months, we have watched in horror as the Israeli government has carried out genocide, armed and funded by the U.S. Congress, and the Biden administration has the power to end this horror today,” JVP Executive Director Stefanie Fox said in a statement.
“Instead, our president is preparing to meet with Netanyahu and congressional leaders have honored him with an invitation to address Congress. Enough is enough. Biden and Congress must listen to the people: we need an arms embargo now to save lives.”
