Protests at Capitol Result in Arrests
Capitol police reported that around 60 demonstrators were taken into custody on Friday during veteran protests on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The arrests were made after the demonstrators violated laws regarding bicycle racks.
The incident occurred outside the U.S. Capitol, near the Rotunda stairs. According to reports, a group of veterans and military families had organized a sit-in to express their disapproval of President Donald Trump’s decision to send the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, California.
This group was also against a planned military parade to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which is scheduled for Saturday in D.C.—notably, that day also happens to be Trump’s birthday.
Approximately 75 protesters had been demonstrating peacefully in the vicinity of the Supreme Court building, but around 60 of them moved away from the site. Police then established boundaries to prevent them from approaching other buildings in the area.
According to Capitol Police, “Several people pushed down the bike rack and crossed the police line illegally as they ran towards the rotunda stairs. Our officers quickly blocked the group and began arresting them.”
The charges faced by the arrested individuals include illegal demonstrations and breaching police boundaries. Furthermore, some participants may also face charges of assaulting officers and resisting arrest.
In related news, following the ice operation in Los Angeles, government agencies labeled those arrested as “the worst of the worst” among criminal illegal aliens.
Video footage from the recent protest featured a speaker wearing a hat that read “Free Palestine.” The event was organized by a group named About Face: Veterans Against the War and another called Veterans for Peace, which have been described as anti-Israel on social media.
Despite the backlash against the upcoming military parades, Ambassador Monica Crowley, chief of U.S. Protocol, recently spoke about the funding from several major tech companies for events linked to the military parade.
