NEW YORK (PulseWire) — Nearly 100 protesters were arrested during a demonstration Monday calling on Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to block the sale of thousands of U.S. bombs to Israel.
Led by the antiwar group Jewish Voice for Peace, the crowd of hundreds initially attempted to stage a sit-in inside the Manhattan offices of the two lawmakers they accused of facilitating Israel’s intensifying attacks in Lebanon and the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.
As security barred demonstrators from entering the building, they stopped traffic outside, chanting 'fund people, not bombs' while they were arrested and loaded onto buses.
Among those taken into custody were whistleblower Chelsea Manning, actor Hari Nef, and New York City Council Member Alexa Avilés, according to a JVP spokesperson.
The protest centered on a set of resolutions introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders that could block the sale of more than $600 million in bombs to Israel.
Previous measures introduced by Sanders have failed, but this summer's effort garnered the support of over half of Senate Democrats amid rising humanitarian crises in Gaza. Schumer and Gillibrand were notably not among those supporters.
Protesters stated that the air and ground offensive in southern Lebanon and the broader U.S.-Israeli conflicts have heightened the need to vote against the arms sale, anticipated later this week.
Sonya Meyerson-Knox, a communications director at Jewish Voice for Peace, emphasized, 'This is the moment when Schumer and Gillibrand must listen to their constituents. The majority of Americans and New Yorkers want a resolution to what the Israeli government is doing.'
Inquiries to Schumer and Gillibrand's offices for comment were not immediately returned.
