(Headline USA) Police and pro-Hamas rioters clashed outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters on Wednesday night during a cease-fire protest, the latest reflection of the precarious line that the Left must walk as its pro-Israel establishment faces an outright revolt from its base.
Scores of Democratic representatives and candidates, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, were inside the building for a campaign reception when it was interrupted by chanting outside.
Despite a troubling history of anti-Semitism, Jeffries has come out strongly in favor of Jewish issues since launching his political career and has conveyed his support for Israel whine being notably mute about the anti-Semitic rhetoric of Democratic “Squad” members.
Protesters said they wanted to block entrances and exits to force politicians to encounter their candlelight vigil and their calls for an end to the fighting. Many of them wore black shirts saying “Cease Fire Now.”
However, the situation swiftly devolved. U.S. Capitol Police said about 150 people were “illegally and violently protesting” in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington. But protesters blamed police for the violence, saying officers rushed them without warning.
“It is shameful the way that nonviolent protesters and members of our community were met with violence tonight,” said Dani Noble, who came from Philadelphia for the demonstration. “It is absolutely shameful.”
Noble said police, some of whom were wearing riot gear, started “pulling on folks that are disabled or have have chronic illnesses, pulling people to the ground.”
Inside the DNC headquarters, police rushed into the reception and directed lawmakers to the basement, according to Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif. Some were later evacuated in police vehicles.
Capitol Police said six officers were treated for minor injuries and one protester was arrested for assaulting an officer. Video posted on social media showed shoving and scuffles as police moved in.
The Metropolitan Police Department said its officers also responded to the disturbance. Congressional staffers received an alert telling them no one would be permitted to enter or exit any House office buildings, but authorities later reopened the entrances.
Sherman accused protesters of trying to break into the Democratic headquarters in a tweet. However, protesters denied that was their intention.
The protest was organized by a coalition of groups, including If Not Now and Jewish Voice for Peace Action, that have spearheaded other demonstrations in Washington and elsewhere.
Wednesday’s clashes were the latest example of roiling tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas.
Last week, a large number of House Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in voting to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, over her anti-Semitic rhetoric and pro-terrorist dogwhistles.
President Joe Biden has also faced increasing pressure from the Democratic Party’s left flank over his support for Israel’s military operation. He has resisted calls for a cease-fire, instead saying there should be pauses in the fighting to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the potential extraction of hostages.
Among the participants Wednesday night was Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg, who interrupted Biden’s speech at a recent fundraiser in Minneapolis.
She said Democrats are “not listening to the people who they claim to represent,” adding that “actions like this are only going to increase.”
“We are not slowing down,” she said. “The call for a ceasefire is going to keep growing. And our representatives need to take action, yesterday.”
If the war continues into next summer, it could remarkably mirror the last time that Democrats held their national nominating convention in Chicago.
The 1968 event was marred by violence, some of it tied with protest over the war in Vietnam and the recent assassination of Martin Luther King.
The increasingly unpopular incumbent, Lyndon B. Johnson, opted not to run again, allowing his vice president, Hubert Humphrey, to become the establishment pick.
However, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-N.Y., entered the race and quickly gained momentum until he was assassinated by a Palestinian radical following his victory in the California primary.
Republican Richard Nixon would go on to win the race and withdraw the country from Vietnam.
Biden—if he makes it through the primary season—currently faces competition from Kennedy’s eponymous son, RFK Jr., who is running as an independent after having been frozen out of debates and support by the DNC. The Biden administration also has refused to provide the younger Kennedy with Secret Service protection despite multiple threats.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
