Nine anti-Israel protesters are suing Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Capitol Police officers, alleging that the officers violated their constitutional rights and used excessive force during a protest outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters last fall.
The federal lawsuit was filed by the Civil Rights Corps in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last week.
The nine plaintiffs were part of the more than 100 protesters who gathered outside of the DNC on Nov. 15 to protest the war in Gaza.
The lawsuit accuses officers with the Metropolitan Police and U.S. Capitol Police of “kettling” the protesters. This is a tactic in which officers corner protesters in one place and deploy chemical irritants, making the protesters cough and throw up.
Officers are accused of choking two of the plaintiffs with the keffiyehs wrapped around their necks, strangling plaintiffs Alden Dirks and Veronica Mosqueda, and punching one of the protesters in the face. Protester Sonalee Rashatwar accused one of the officers of groping her breasts.
Sam Rise said the officers “shoved, dragged, threw, and body slammed” him and that he had suffered from a spinal injury due to the attacks.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs accused the police of violating the protesters’ First and Fourth Amendment rights. In addition, the lawsuit states that officers violated the First Amendment Assemblies Act, which requires officers to give at least one clear order for a crowd to disperse before beginning to make arrests.
The plaintiffs stated they had not been blocking the entrance of the DNC and that they were protesting peacefully. However, the suit claims that without warning, the police had attacked them.
The suit accused MPD Commander Jason Bagshaw of standing by and watching as officers “inflicted unreasonable and excessive force” on the protesters. D.C. police told the Washington Examiner they do not comment on pending lawsuits.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
In a statement following the protest, a Capitol Police spokesperson said protesters did not listen to instructions to move away from the DNC headquarters building, which House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was inside for a meeting. Capitol Police officers said six officers were injured during the clash.
In addition to a spinal injury, protesters said they suffered psychological trauma, depression, and sleeplessness. Plaintiffs have requested a jury trial and are seeking compensation to account for their medical treatment, lost wages, and pain and suffering.