Pro-Palestinian protest outside of Netanyahu speech turns violent, Capitol police deploy crowd control munitions

( Post Millennial )

Capitol Police in Washington, DC, have deployed pepper spray against anti-Israel protesters who fail to obey police orders to move back from the police line. The confrontation between law enforcement and protesters came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress regarding the ongoing conflict with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

“Part of the crowd has started to become violent at First Street and Constitution Avenue, NW. The crowd failed to obey our order to move back from our police line. We are deploying pepper spray towards anyone trying to break the law and cross that line,” Capitol Police stated in a post on X.

The protests mark a significant escalation as demonstrators continue to voice opposition to Netanyahu’s visit and Israel’s actions during the ongoing war. Protesters were seen holding signs that depicted blood-stained hands and Netanyahu as the devil. Protesters were also heard chanting various slogans, including "Netanyahu you can't hide."