LGBTQ+ activists stormed into and temporarily occupied Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) office in the Rayburn House Office Building, across the street from the Capitol building, on Monday to push Republican lawmakers to fund the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for another five years.
Video taken inside the office shows the protesters sitting down in the reception area, while chanting "Pass PEPFAR now, McCarthy!"
BREAKING: Activists are occupying @SpeakerMcCarthy’s office demanding a full 5 year reauthorization of PEPFAR, which some Rs are opposing. Background: https://t.co/nQVnCxPDE0 pic.twitter.com/wCZx4Z6wzu
— Alice Miranda Ollstein (@AliceOllstein) September 11, 2023
The six protesters were eventually taken into custody by Capitol Police.
6 activists are being arrested by Capitol Police, lined up against the wall and handcuffed pic.twitter.com/qgWCCcgsM2
— Alice Miranda Ollstein (@AliceOllstein) September 11, 2023
Users on X, formerly known as Twitter, dryly asked if those who participated in the protest would be treated the same way as those who were charged with trespassing during the riot at the Capitol building on January 6.
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Straight to the gulag. That’s the rule https://t.co/J4ha4IS5cB
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) September 11, 2023
As I understand the current federal precedent for punishing insurrectionists who aggressively invade government buildings, this should warrant minimum 25 year prison sentences each. https://t.co/JgwRsQHlYk
— 𝙼𝚁. 𝙻𝙴𝙰𝙳𝚂𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙴𝚁 (@Lead_Flinger) September 11, 2023
I thought this was called an “insurrection”! https://t.co/CQicp404gu
— WindTalker (@nmlinguaphile) September 11, 2023
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