Tens of thousands plan to march to Capitol during Netanyahu speech

A coalition of advocacy groups will gather Wednesday in front of the U.S. Capitol to protest the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to converge on DC tomorrow for a nationwide mobilization to demand the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu,” an organizer for the group told The Hill.

Netanyahu will address a joint meeting of Congress at 2 p.m.

Dozens of senior Democrats, including Vice President Harris, Rep. Jerry Nadler (DN.Y.) and Senate Pro Tempore Patty Murray (D-Wash.), will not attend the speech. Harris will be on a previously scheduled trip to Indiana, while others chose to skip the remarks.

Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) is organizing the protest, which was sponsored by hundreds of groups across the country, according to ANSWER spokesperson Zoe Alexandra. ANSWER was founded in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and helps organize large anti-war protests across the U.S.

The rally will begin at 11 a.m. at Third Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The buses will bring groups of protesters from as far away as Indiana, Georgia and Illinois, according to protest organizers.

During the rally outside the Capitol, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, UAW Executive Board member Brandon Mancilla, American Postal Workers Union President Mark Diamonstein and actress Susan Sarandon will speak.

Along with ANSWER, Jewish Voice for Peace, CodePink, the US Palestinian Community Network, the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), the People’s Forum, CAIR and more than a dozen other organizations are collaborating -organizing the event.

“The millions of people who mobilized in the streets and at the voting booths demanding a permanent ceasefire and an end to military funding for Israel were clear – there is no going back to the status quo,” said USCPR Executive Director of Action, Ahmad Abuznaid. released in a statement.

“The US is the largest financier and facilitator of the Israeli military, sending at least $17.9 billion worth of weapons to Israel in 2024 alone, and has thus been deeply implicated in the genocide. If Biden were fit to lead, he would stop funding genocide and hand over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the ICC, as the The Lemkin Institute demanded,” he added.

The coalition of groups also denounced the U.S. Capitol Police for placing physical barricades around the Capitol in anticipation of the protests.

“It is shameful that taxpayers’ money is being used to transform the Capitol building into Fort Netanyahu. Millions of dollars were spent to fortify the area so that a genocidal war criminal could feel safe. But we will not be intimidated and we are determined to exercise our First Amendment rights,” Brian Becker, national director of the ANSWER Coalition, said in a statement to The Hill.

The Capitol Police was announced a series of related road closures around the Capitol.

“The USCP anticipates the presence of many protesters. The Department respects the First Amendment rights of everyone, but all demonstrations must be peaceful and legal. It is illegal to cross an established police line, such as the bike rack barriers the USCP uses around the Capitol,” the agency wrote in a statement.

This protest is expected to be the largest anti-Nethanyahu protest as he addresses Congress, but there are others planned across the city as well.

T’ruah, a rabbinic organization that defends human rights, go hold a Shacharit for Peace and Justice at Union Station Plaza at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

UnXeptable will host a “Netanyahu Non-Grata” protest outside the U.S. Capitol at Delaware Avenue and First Street NE at noon, and the Peace Bloc will also host a Netanyahu protest at 1 p.m. on the Capitol grounds.

On Tuesday, a group of protesters also occupied the Cannon House office building.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story