Bipartisan condemnation of a violent protest outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters on Capitol Hill is continuing to pour in following the evacuation of several members of Congress on Wednesday night. Speaker Johnson describes the event, which saw six Capitol police officers injured, as a symptom of rising antisemitism in the country. 

On Wednesday night, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the DNC headquarters and blockaded all entrances to the building, trapping members of Congress inside. The top three House Democrats — Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, and Congressman Pete Aguilar — were hosting an event for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee when the protest turned violent. 

“Last night approximately 200 people gathered in front of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters to protest the conflict in the Middle East,” the Capitol Police said in a statement Thursday. “We have handled hundreds of peaceful protests, but last night’s group was not peaceful. The crowd failed to obey our lawful orders to move back from the DNC, where Members of Congress were in the building.”

The Capitol Police said the group attacked officers, leading to one arrest of a protester. “When the group moved dumpsters in front of the exits, pepper sprayed our officers and attempted to pick up the bike rack, our teams quickly introduced consequences — pulling people off the building, pushing them back, and clearing them from the area, so we could safely evacuate the Members and staff.” 

The only arrest was “24-year old Ruben Arthur Camacho of Woodbridge, NY,” who “was arrested for Assault on a Police Officer after an officer witnessed Camacho slam another officer into a garage door and then punch the female officer in the face.”

Members of Congress were quick to condemn the attack. One Jewish member who was at the meeting and had to be evacuated, Congressman Brad Sherman, said in a statement that he was “evacuated from the DNC after pro-terrorist, anti-Israel protesters grew violent, pepper spraying police officers and attempting to break into the building. … Apparently, these pro-Hamas demonstrators want Republicans to prevail in the next Congressional election.”

Another Jewish Democrat, Congressman Sean Casten, said he was evacuated after “the building was surrounded by protesters who had blocked all modes of ingress and egress. To the protesters: PLEASE don’t do something irresponsible. You have the Constitutional right to peaceably assemble and protest.  But blocking all entries to a building with multiple members of Congress in it, protected by Capitol Police officers who have lived through January 6, is putting you and other innocent people at risk.”

Congresswoman Hillary Scholten was also present. “Demonstrations such as this one — in which police orders to leave private property were ignored, members of Congress were blocked from exiting, and six police officers were injured — cannot be classified as peaceful,” she said. 

Mr. Johnson said on Thursday that he and his colleagues will not stomach such antisemitic demonstrations. “Last night, pro-Hamas protesters outside the U.S. Capitol violently attacked the Democratic National Committee headquarters. I condemn this criminal activity, which injured six brave Capitol Police officers, in the strongest terms. As Americans, we must unite with one voice in steadfast support of our ally Israel. … Congress will not be intimidated by this vile display of anti-Semitism.”