On Tuesday, the U.S. Capitol Police arrested 130 people for illegally protesting at the Cannon House Office Building in yet another pro-Hamas demonstration. Such arrests come less than three months after pro-Hamas agitators were similarly illegally protesting at Cannon, with arrests being made at the time there as well.
The House called off votes due to winter storms in Washington, D.C., though the Senate is still operating so as to avert a government shutdown. Nevertheless, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was able to share footage of the illegal activity that took place earlier on Tuesday.
Another Hamas insurrection in the Cannon House office building! pic.twitter.com/8fW5zGMJSm
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 16, 2024
USCP arrest 130 people in connection with pro-Palestinian demonstration in the Cannon Rotunda. Charged with "Crowding, Obstructing, or Incommoding" – for illegally protesting inside the Cannon House Office Building.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 16, 2024
A group known as Mennonite Action posted throughout Tuesday sharing footage of their illegal activity, as they repeated pro-Hamas narratives calling for a ceasefire, while posting that their actions were "peaceful."
Despite how calls for a ceasefire benefit would only Hamas terrorists, the Mennonite in Action website includes a section on "Condemning All Violence" that references calls from families of the 240 hostages that Hamas terrorists took when they attacked Israel on October 7. The page also appears to equate Israel and Hamas. Emphasis is added:
Mennonite Action is building on the work of MCUSA, Mennonite Palestine Israel Network, and Mennonite Jewish Relations. These organizations have condemned the violence, both of Hamas and Israel, and we fully and publicly support their statements.
We follow the courageous call of the Israeli families of hostages: “Koolam tmoorat koolam,” everybody for everybody — a call that every hostage held by Hamas should be exchanged for every Palestinian held by Israel. It is also a call that signifies that our humanity is intimately tied to each other, that we share one bond and that we collectively must protect life together. Violence will only beget violence, and unless we are unrelenting in our work for peace and justice, and end Israel’s cruel occupation of Palestine, we know that cycles of violence will continue. A call for peace and an end of occupation protects and nourishes all life.
Mennonite Action’s primary concern is to end the war on Gaza, because a permanent ceasefire will protect millions of innocent people. A ceasefire will save lives and we pray it will be the beginning of a journey towards lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis.
When a permanent ceasefire is brokered—and we believe it will be, with our advocacy in collaboration with peacemakers around the world—we will turn our efforts towards calling for a just and peaceful end to the occupation.
The page leaves out how 1,200 Israelis were killed by Hamas terrorists in the October 7 attack, where men, women, and children alike were savagely murdered. Not even babies and Holocaust survivors were spared. Hamas also tortured, raped, and kidnapped people, including the 240 referenced above in a way to serve the group's agenda.
Another section of the website, their "Call to Action" emphasizes the Mennonite beliefs on war an piece, with original emphasis:
We are people of God’s peace. As Mennonites, we are called to be peacemakers. For more than 65 years, Mennonites have heeded that call in Palestine. The Mennonite Central Committee, Community Peacemakers Teams, MennoPIN and other Mennonite groups and congregations have been present in Palestine for decades responding to humanitarian needs, supporting sustainable development, advocating for justice, supporting reconciliation, and nurturing long-standing relationships. In 2017, MCUSA passed a resolution committing to oppose Israel’s military occupation of Palestine, in addition to actively opposing anti-semitism.
While that section mentions being "shocked by Hamas’ brutal attacks against Israeli civilians on October 7," it then goes on to add that they "are horrified by Israel’s attacks on Palestinian civilians, as the death toll rises each day, including thousands of children," claiming "[w]e cannot keep quiet."
It is Hamas who has broken ceasefires, though. There was a ceasefire in place before Hamas perpetrated the brutal assault on October 7, and there were temporary ceasefires in place in November to allow for hostage negotiations. Hamas broke those ceasefires as well.
The Mennonite Action X account has only existed since November 2023, after Hamas' attack on October 7.
This latest display of pro-Hamas, disruptive behavior is hardly the only recent example. Federal employees have been planning a walkout due to what support President Joe Biden and his administration have dared to show for Israel. This comes even after Biden has condemned the response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.
A "Day of Mourning for Gaza" was still advertised, per an Instagram post from "Feds United For Peace." As Fox News San Antonio reported:
The weather put a damper on plans. A blizzard hit the nation's Capitol Monday and most federal workers were told to stay home Tuesday. Despite the snow day, Feds United for Peace told The National Desk the Day of Mourning proceeded, and "many employees eligible for telework still participated in the Day of Mourning."
Participants reportedly work for more than 25 different agencies including the White House, the House of Representatives, the National Security Agency and the Department of Defense.
Lawmakers such as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) are against such actions and have called for such employees to lose their jobs. Secretary of State Antony Blinken does not seem to be of the same mind, per his remarks to CNBC earlier on Tuesday.
Speaking to the secretary in Davos, Andrew Sorkin spoke to how "there is clearly a divide around the country and around the world about how the Israelis are going about this and about the U.S.’s support for it, including inside the White House itself, with members of government literally walking off the job."
Reading Johnson's post that "Any government worker who walks off the job to protest U.S. support for our ally Israel is ignoring their responsibility and abusing the trust of taxpayers. They deserve to be fired," Sorkin asked Blinken for his response.
"We’ve had--I can just speak for the State Department. We’ve had a number of people in the department since October raise questions, raise concerns, raise criticisms of policies--policies that Israel is pursuing; polices that we’re pursuing. And the kind of place that I want to have, the institution I want to have is a place where people feel comfortable doing that," Blinken responded in part, leaving out how federal employees have resigned over the administration's stance, including in the State Department.
In case we need any further reminder of the despicable lengths that pro-Hamas agitators will turn to, protesters from earlier this week marched past the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, screaming and pointing at the window where a child with a mask could be seen looking on. "Make sure they hear you, they're in the windows," the agitators could be heard yelling as they targeted pediatric cancer patients.
Pro-Hamas "organizer" Nerdeen Kiswani even doubled down on justifying the tactic, as Piers Morgan called the protests "disgusting."
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