Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Wednesday to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress following his arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. 

As Netanyahu promised “total victory against Hamas” and labeled American critics of the war in Gaza as “idiots” during his speech, demonstrators flooded the streets surrounding the Capitol building donning keffiyehs and hoisting signs reading “End the siege on Gaza” and “Wanted: War criminal Benjamin Netanyahu.” Despite demonstrators remaining peaceful for the majority of the protest, Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested 23 people and deployed pepper spray and mace on crowds of protesters. 

The protests came on the third day of outcries against Netanyahu’s visit to the District, after protesters flooded the streets outside of the Watergate Hotel, located about two blocks west of GW’s campus, where Netanyahu was staying. Protesters released maggots and crickets in the hotel ahead of Netanyahu’s address, and stood outside of the hotel on the nights leading up to his appearance projecting an image of the prime minister reading “Wanted: Arrest war criminal Netanyahu” and chanting “We don’t want Netanyahu here” and “Netanyahu you’re a coward, the people have the power.” 

During the demonstrations, protesters demanded for an end to Israeli military offensives in Gaza and an immediate ceasefire. Demonstrators also called for Netanyahu’s arrest as a “war criminal” after the International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israel’s Minister of Defense, as well as three top Hamas leaders. 

The ICC charged the Israeli leaders for their military response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in which they led strikes killing roughly 35,000 Palestinian civilians and blocked aid from entering northern Gaza. The ICC also charged the Israeli leaders  with seven war crimes such as murder and directing against civilians. 

The Court charged the Hamas leaders with eight war crimes against humanity for their attack on Oct. 7, including murder, taking hostages and rape.

As protesters moved toward the Capitol Wednesday afternoon ahead of Netanyahu’s address around 11:30 a.m., a group of demonstrators locked arms and sat at the center of the intersection of 4th Street and Independence Avenue in an attempt to block oncoming traffic. MPD officers arrested five of the protesters for “crowding, obstructing and incommoding,” according to a release.

Protesters continued to march down Constitution Avenue, chanting phrases like “there is only one solution, intifada revolution,” and carrying signs with messages like “stop the Palestinian Holocaust.” 

At about 2 p.m., roughly three hours into the protest, U.S. Capitol Police pepper sprayed a portion of the crowd at the intersection of First Street and Constitution Avenue, stating in a tweet that the crowd had become “violent” and protesters “failed to obey” officers’ orders to move away from their police line.

Dana and David Smith, a married couple who attended the protest, said they were standing next to a demonstrator who was pepper sprayed by MPD officers during the demonstration. They said the crowd had been peaceful and they did not understand why police released pepper spray, but decided to move to the outskirts of the protest to avoid being sprayed themselves.  

“We have not seen any violence,” David Smith said. 

Alex Dahman and Laith Salhi, two Palestinian high school students from northern Virginia, said they attended the protest to show their support for Palestine and condemn Netanyahu’s visit to D.C. 

Dahman said the Israeli leader’s visit was a “mockery of freedom” as people in Palestine were actively suffering while he was speaking to Congress. Famine in Gaza has broken out due to Israeli strikes and blocked aid, with roughly 80% of the Gazan population in need of humanitarian aid. 

Both Dahman and Salhi said they have family members who live in Palestine. Salhi said he has lost relatives who lived in the region during the war. 

“I have family there,” Dahman said. “I have people I love there.”

At about 2:15 p.m., protesters moved deeper into Capitol Hill after police deployed more pepper spray onto the crowds. A small group of pro-Israel counterprotesters gathered across from Union Station with Israeli flags while the group passed by, sparking verbal altercations from protesters.

As the group filtered through Capitol Hill, Kate Dehar, a protester and retired school teacher, moved with the crowd and said she has protested against Israel for about 40 years. She said she thinks “no one” from Congress should be meeting with Netanyahu, and that if he went to Spain or another European country he would have been arrested and tried by the ICC for his “crimes against humanity” on Palestinians. 

“The U.S. is welcoming a war criminal in the halls of Congress and they should be ashamed of themselves for the violation of human rights that we can’t continue to carry on,” Dehar said. 

Other protesters walked through the neighborhood chanting “Viva, viva Palestinia,” and “Every time Bibi lies, a mother and father dies.” They also carried posters reading, “Lift the siege on Gaza now” or “Free Palestine f*ck a two state.” Hundreds carried large Palestinian flags with multiple protesters holding Hamas flags. 

Protesters moved west and settled in front of Union Station at around 2:45 p.m., with MPD officers forming a line across Columbus Circle. Some demonstrators sprayed messages onto the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain reading “Gaza” or “Free Palestine.” Others also wrote “f*ck Israel” or “Bibi’s a b*tch.” 

Just after 3 p.m., a handful of protesters climbed a flagpole outside of Union Station and removed the American flag, later replacing it with a Palestinian flag. A crowd of protesters also set an American flag on fire, as well as a makeshift model of Netanyahu.

Soon after, MPD arrested and charged two people for assaulting a police officer. MPD also arrested two additional people for crossing police lines in front of the Union Station entrance. 

“You protect a war criminal,” one demonstrator shouted to an officer. “Disgusting,” another said.

A press release from MPD Chief Pamela A. Smith stated the District has a “long and proud history” of protests with hundreds occurring every year.

“We will continue to support those who choose to protest peacefully and safely, and we will continue to hold accountable those who commit criminal acts while in our city,” the release states.

An Instagram post from the DMV Student for Justice in Palestine stated MPD arrested a 15-year-old protester and charged them for assault on a police officer. They also stated MPD “harassed” protesters and used “brutal force to protect a war criminal.”

“These tactics are nothing but empty forms of intimidation used against people who take a principled stance for the liberation of Palestine,” the post stated.

Officers mounted bicycles and cleared the area outside Union Station around 4:45 p.m., met with cheers from the crowd of protesters. After the protest, the National Park Service closed off Columbus Circle to visitors to power wash the spray-painted messages from the Freedom Bell and Columbus Fountain. 

Jennifer Igbonoba contributed reporting.