House Democrats’ Jan. 6 press conference interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters

Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted a press conference held by House Democrats on the eve of the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), flanked by some of his Democratic colleagues and several advocacy groups, gathered outside the Capitol on Friday to warn against claims by former President Donald Trump that the 2020 election was fraudulent and urge voters not to “forget” the lessons taught during the Jan. 6 riot.

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“I just want to say this: The struggle that began on Jan. 6 in this building continues to this day,” Raskin said. “Donald Trump is out there saying that he will issue a pardon to the more than 700 people who are convicted of participation in the violent insurrection against the union.”

But shortly after Raskin began his remarks, a pair of protesters joined the groups leading the press conference, holding signs that read “Israel is not above the law” and “Hold Israel accountable for genocide.” The protesters were removed from the group by Capitol Police and escorted across the sidewalk, where they continued to yell at lawmakers throughout the nearly hourlong press conference.

The two protesters yelled so loud in many cases that some of the speakers could not hear their colleagues’ statements. Many of the shouted remarks were specifically directed at present lawmakers such as Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Glenn Ivey (D-MD), berating the lawmakers as “genociders.”

“Shame!” one protester yelled. Another claimed the military action Israel has taken against Hamas is “worse than Jan. 6.”

The lawmakers carried on with their speeches, with a handful responding to the interruption.

“Boy, I’ll tell you, I’ve been heckled by a lot of folks, but whatever internal megaphone he’s got is impressive,” said Svante Myrick, president of People for the American Way, a nonprofit liberal advocacy organization that co-hosted the press conference.

Raskin later addressed the protesters during questions, telling reporters that no one at the podium “supports genocide.”

“There’s no one who supports apartheid. There’s no one in this event who supports terrorism,” Raskin said. “And I cannot imagine a group of two people who thinks that somehow it’s an effective tactic to come and interfere with an assembly of progressive Democratic people standing up for our freedom.”

The heckling underscores the internal division within the Democratic Party related to the war against Hamas and whether to provide additional military aid to Israel. After the Hamas militant group attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing hundreds of civilians, the Jewish state launched military operations that Democrats have increasingly denounced as indiscriminate. Progressives in the House have repeatedly called for a ceasefire and urged their colleagues to halt approving military aid to the country.

Several of those lawmakers, many of whom belong to a group called the “Squad,” have publicly criticized President Joe Biden by name and accused him of fueling the conflict after the White House twice approved sending additional aid to Israel without congressional approval.

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Meanwhile, tensions are emerging in the Senate as lawmakers struggle to come to an agreement on providing military aid and whether such an assistance package should include conditions that scale back Israel’s tactics and operations.

Some lawmakers such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) have called for conditioning aid, seeking to reduce the number of civilian casualties in Gaza. However, those proposals have prompted pushback from other Senate Democrats who argue Israel has the right to defend itself.