07/23/2024 --axios
A large, raucous pro-Palestinian protest Tuesday at a U.S. House office building is spiking lawmakers' concerns about security around Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming speech.Why it matters: The protests spilled over from a common area to several individual lawmakers' offices, with one office calling the police on demonstrators.Rep. Dan Kildee's (D-Mich.) office "had to call U.S. Capitol Police for assistance" after "hundreds of protesters outside the office became disruptive," Kildee's chief of staff Mitchell Rivard said in a statement.Rivard said protesters were "violently beating on the office doors, shouting loudly, and attempting to force entry into the office."Spokespeople for Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, the groups that organized the protest, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.State of play: The protest, in which hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in the Cannon House Office Building, prompted Capitol Police to make scores of arrests for demonstrating in a restricted area.It may just be a taste of what's to come when Netanyahu arrives on Wednesday. The U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights has said "tens of thousands" of people will gather at the Capitol.Capitol security officials and law enforcement are already taking precautions, erecting a fence, restricting entrances to the complex and encouraging staffers to move through the building's tunnel system.House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday that additional police officers will be posted outside the Capitol and inside the House chamber.What they're saying: Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) told Axios that protesters were camped outside his office, prompting the Capitol Police to instruct his staff to remain inside."It crosses the line ... when it makes it impossible for people within the Capitol – not just people who work here but others who are visiting their representatives – to even get around," Schneider said.Kildee told Axios the protest is escalating safety concerns for Wednesday, saying "obviously, we're going to take extra precautions going forward.""I'm concerned about my safety," said Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), who told Axios he isn't wearing his member pin because "I don't want to be a target."What to watch: Some Democrats have told Axios that, in addition to sitting out the speech, they may avoid Capitol Hill altogether tomorrow afternoon to avoid the protests.Democrats got a briefing on security around the speech during their closed-door caucus meeting on Tuesday morning, according to multiple lawmakers present.The other side: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who said she may leave Capitol Hill after votes on Wednesday out of concern for her personal safety, defended the protest on Tuesday.JVP and IfNotNow "have a history of powerful, peaceful, non-violent protests at the Capitol, and I think that their actions are inspiring," she told Axios.The bottom line: "I think the new normal is that everyone is always concerned about safety since January 6," said Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.).Go deeper: Democrats' chaos makes Netanyahu speech an "afterthought"
