Protesters interrupt Senate hearing on Israel, Ukraine aid

Oct 31, 2023

A Senate Appropriations hearing on President Joe Biden’s emergency funding request for Israel and Ukraine was interrupted Tuesday morning by protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

Roughly two dozen protesters sat with their hands raised, painted red, in an apparent workaround to rules that ban standing and protesting. The protesters were affiliated with anti-war group Codepink.

During opening testimony, about half a dozen people were arrested after standing up and calling for a ceasefire. Some of the activists also represented immigrant rights groups.

“Ceasefire now, save the children of Gaza!” one protester yelled.

Members of a group of protesters who disrupted a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing to call for a ceasefire in Gaza are seen on Capitol Hill Oct. 31, 2023. In the background, one protester is led away by a U.S. Capitol Police officer. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testified on national security spending during the hearing.

The hearing, featuring Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, centered on the Biden administration’s request for more than $14 billion for Israel aid and more than $61 billion for Ukraine.

Between interruptions, Blinken said he heard “the passions expressed in this room and outside this room. All of us are committed to the protection of civilian life.”

“All of us know the suffering that is taking place as we speak,” Blinken said. “All of us are determined to see it end. But all of us know the imperative of standing up with our allies and partners when their security, when their democracies are threatened.”

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