Capitol Police arrest pro-Palestinian demonstrators inside Cannon House Office Building
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Capitol Police arrested numerous pro-Palestinian demonstrators Thursday who had staged a die-in alongside a banner with the message "ceasefire now" inside the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building.
One officer could be heard giving more than a dozen of the protesters a "final warning" through a megaphone as they dropped roses onto the banner and laid on the floor of the building in Capitol Hill.
"Alright folks, you are demonstrating in an area not permitted to do so. This will be your final warning," the officer said. "If you do not wish to be arrested, you will need to exit the building through those doors . . . . This is your third and final warning."
Pro-Palestinian protesters are seen staging a die-in inside the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, February 15. (Fox News)
Footage captured by Fox News at the scene then showed numerous protesters, one by one, being detained and led away from the area by Capitol Police. Others left after heeding the warnings.
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Many of the demonstrators were wearing pro-Palestinian apparel and shirts from the group United We Dream, which describes itself on its website as the "largest immigrant youth-led network in the country" that is "leading the fight for the dignity and respect of all immigrants.
Protesters were heard chanting "ceasefire now!" prior to the arrests, while others were silent.
The demonstration comes as the Israeli military is preparing to move into the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip in its counter-offensive against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
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Rafah’s population has swelled from about 280,000 to nearly 1.7 million after many Palestinians fled there since the onset of the Israeli military’s ground incursion in Gaza, according to United Nations estimates.
"We will fight until complete victory, and this includes a powerful action also in Rafah after we allow the civilian population to leave the battle zones," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X on Wednesday.
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