Pro-Palestine demonstrators swarm inside Capitol Hill, demand ceasefire as police begin arresting protesters
Pro-Palestine protestors swarmed the Cannon Rotunda in Capitol Hill on Wednesday, with hundreds of protestors demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Footage from inside the Cannon Office Building shows a large group chanting "Ceasefire Now!" and calling for Congress to demand the fighting stop in Israel. The protestors were spotted wearing black T-shirts reading, ‘Jews Say Ceasefire Now.'
The group Jewish Voice for Peace said in a X post that "over 350" demonstrators," including two dozen rabbis," are inside the large rotunda with thousands outside the U.S. Capitol.
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U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) say that demonstrations are not allowed inside Congressional buildings and are working to clear the crowd. USCP said in a X post that they warned the growing number of protesters to stop demonstrating and "when they did not comply we began arresting them."
USCP did not say how many demonstrators have been arrested, but did say that so far three were arrested and charged with assault on a police officer during the demonstrations.
USCP confirmed to Fox News that demonstrators inside the Cannon Rotunda will be charged with illegally protesting inside a House Office Building.
USCP also said more protesters are walking in the roadway around the House side of the Capitol Complex, and they have begun temporary rolling road closures for safety.
"A large group of protesters are walking in the roadway around the House side of the Capitol Complex," the USCP wrote in a X post. "For safety reasons, we have temporary rolling road closures in effect."
More than 30 protesters were arrested in front of the White House on Monday and over the weekend, thousands of pro-Palestinian activists took to the streets of the nation's capital to advocate for a cease-fire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hamas militant group.
Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.