Photos by Theo Weller
Police deployed tear gas at a protest that took place as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a t session of Congress Wednesday, July 24. One office estimated there were up to 15 different police departments activated at the Capitol as well as diverse federal agencies.
Thousands of protesters gathered in the Capital as Netanyahu spoke, calling for the Israeli Prime Minister to be tried for war crimes linked to the war in Gaza. For the most part, the march was peaceful. Many waved Palestinian flags and chanted “free Palestine” as they marched through Capitol Hill. The grounds had been fenced in by Tuesday morning, but the perimeter was enlarged Wednesday; NYPD could be seen in the area.
There were a diversity of views represented throughout the crowd, from “free Gaza” to “No More Foreign Wars, America First” along the periphery.
The bulk of the protesters oppose the conflict in Gaza, which has now been ongoing since Hama’s attack on Oct. 7.
A crowd gathered at Third Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, filling an entire block as they listened to speakers. DC Native Nee Nee Taylor of Harriet’s Dreams said the same techniques used to employ police brutality against African Americans are now being used to oppress Palestinians, alleging that the government and police departments have done all they could to prevent the demonstration.
“This US Capitol which says to itself, we are the people’s house, it should be renamed,” Brian Becker, National Director of the ANSWER Coalition said on stage. “It should be called Fort Netanyahu because it looks like a fortress right now with all of these police barricades.”
Palestinian-Muslim-American organizer Linda Sarsour, best known for her work with the Women March, told the crowd that President Joe Biden (D) had dropped out of contention for the Democratic Presidential nomination “because of you guys,” adding that she hoped the protesters would one day visit the beaches of Palestine.
Protesters then set off on a march down Constitution Avenue and into Capitol Hill. At the intersection of First Street and Constitution Avenue, US Capitol Police used pepper-spray on demonstrators, later writing on Twitter/X that portions of the demonstration “started to become violent.”
“The crowd failed to obey our order to move back from our police line,” US Tweeted. “We are deploying pepper spray towards anyone trying to break the law and cross that line.”
The march went in a circuitous route, initially ing Columbus Circle and heading up Massachusetts Avenue before going south on Fourth Street to East Capitol NE, leading the demonstration down residential streets. The protest marched down East Capitol until they came to a police line at Third Street NE. After a pause, the crowd headed north on Third Street to arrive back at Columbus Circle. There, some in the crowd appeared unsure whether the march was over or would continue.
It was there that a few skirmishes broke out. Protesters lowered the American Flag in front of the station, which is located on National Park Service (NPS) grounds and a struggle broke out with National Park Police; as one protester was detained, other protesters participated, bringing down the three American flags on site. Other protesters burnt a paper maché effigy of Netanyahu’s head next to the now-denuded flag pole. Amtrak security and US Park Police were on site.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith said that MPD arrested and charged five people with Crowding, Obstructing or Incommoding after they locked their arms together and blocked the flow of traffic near the intersection of Fourth Street and Independence Avenue SW. A few hours later, MPD arrested and charged two people for assaulting a police officer after they pushed MPD officers during a protest action at Columbus Circle. MPD officers also arrested and charged two additional people for crossing a police line after they say an officer was assaulted. Between US and MPD, 23 people were arrested.
