Veterans arrested for protest in Sen. Gillibrand’s office
A group of veterans were arrested for protesting in Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) office in the Capitol.
Members of the About Face veterans group came to Gillibrand’s office “to demand to meet, call for an end to the siege on Gaza and for a #CeasefireNow.”
“She refused to meet with us,” the group posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Capitol police were called. We aren’t going anywhere until she meets with us.”
The group, which represents veterans who are against war, later posted a video of the protestors being arrested outside the Russell Office Building.
Gillibrand is a senior member of the Armed Services Committee.
Group members joined Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.) and Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) earlier in the day to say “pauses” in the fighting between Israel and Hamas are not enough.
Bush and the group were responding to news from Tuesday that came from the White House, which said Israel had agreed to four-hour daily pauses in Gaza to allow civilians to flee areas of fighting. President Biden said there was “no probability” of a formal cease-fire at the moment.
The group blasted lawmakers for not supporting a cease-fire, saying those who resist a cease-fire “know nothing about war.”
Members of the group pointed out that the arrests were being made just days before Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
In the weeks since fighting began, protests have erupted across Washington, D.C., and within the Capitol to call on lawmakers to demand that Israel accept a cease-fire.
Israel has escalated its attacks on Gaza in the weeks following the Hamas-led surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7. The surprise attack killed more than 1,400 Israelis.
Israel’s counteroffensive and retaliatory strikes have left very little food and water in Gaza and prompted groups to call out the humanitarian crisis for the civilians in the area.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said 10,818 Palestinians, including children, have been killed so far.