Police on Monday took into custody more than 100 people who were protesting the Pennsylvania state government's investments in Israel, shutting down a demonstration on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg, The Associated Press reported.
A spokesperson for the Department of General Services, which includes the Pennsylvania Capitol Police, said 126 people were taken into custody at what he described as an unpermitted, unauthorized demonstration. They were ordered to disperse before being arrested, issued citations for trespassing and then released, the spokesperson added.
The protesters, many wearing T-shirts that said “divest from genocide,” clapped and chanted during the protest, which organizers said was targeted at the state Treasury Department's investment in Israel bonds.
The event was organized by the leftist organization Jewish Voice for Peace, the Philly Palestine Coalition and the Pennsylvania Council on American-Islamic Relations. It began Monday morning outside the Capitol but moved to the Rotunda by early afternoon, according to AP.
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a Republican, said state treasurers of both parties have invested in Israel bonds for more than 30 years. The state's share of Israel bonds rose by $20 million after the Hamas attack that began the war in Gaza and is currently $56 million, Garrity said in a statement released by her office.
Anti-Israel protests have been on the rise in the US since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas on October 7.
In late December, pro-Palestinian Arab protesters, who were waving Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags and chanting “Free Palestine”, shut down the entrance to the World Trade Center in New York City.
The incident came one day after pro-Palestinian Arab protesters blocked a road to John F. Kennedy International Airport. At least 26 protesters were arrested.
In late November, pro-Palestinian Arab protesters halted traffic in New York City by descending at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge and demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.