Pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to enter Rep. Dan Kildee’s (D-MI) office by “violently beating” on the doors during a demonstration in the Cannon House Office Building on Tuesday.
“This afternoon, Congressman Kildee’s Washington, D.C. office had to call U.S. Capitol Police for assistance due to large demonstrations in the Cannon House Office Building,” Mitchell Rivard, Kildee’s chief of staff, said in a statement. “Hundreds of protesters outside the office became disruptive, violently beating on the office doors, shouting loudly, and attempting to force entry into the office.”
Rivard said U.S. Capitol Police responded “immediately” to the situation and made several arrests.”
“Congressman Kildee is safe and his staff are all accounted for,” Rivard added.
Protesters gathered in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building. Their chants echoed loudly throughout the building and were heard from several floors away. Capitol Police tried to clear the area and confiscate banners, and officers arrested some demonstrators with zip ties. It was not immediately clear how many protesters were arrested.
“Demonstrations are not allowed inside the Congressional Buildings,” Capitol Police said in a statement. “We told the people, who legally entered, to stop or they would be arrested. They did not stop, so we are arresting them.”
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The protest at Kildee’s office comes after Rep. Brad Schneider’s (D-IL) office in the Capitol was vandalized on July 4. Posters of Israelis being held hostage in Gaza were ripped down from the walls, shredded, and tossed across the hallway in a “vile act of hate.”
Protests are likely to ramp up over the next day due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Many Democrats, including progressive Squad members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), have told reporters they will not be attending the speech.
