Israeli captives’ relatives detained during Netanyahu speech in US: Reports
Al Jazeera
The six people were evicted as Israeli PM addressed Congress after standing up with shirts that said: ‘Seal the deal’.
Police in the United States detained six relatives of Israelis held in Gaza who protested during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, according to US and Israeli media reports and a group representing the captives.
Five people were detained and escorted out of the gallery on Wednesday after they stood up wearing matching T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Seal the deal”, in a call for the Israeli leader to negotiate a deal to free their loved ones, US media outlet Axios reported.
Another protester was removed after repeatedly shouting “1,400 deaths!” during Netanyahu’s 52-minute speech, reported Huffington Post.
Capitol Police spokeswoman Brianna Burch told Axios that the individuals were taken into custody because they violated a statute prohibiting demonstrations inside the US Capitol.
“Disrupting the Congress and demonstrating in the Congressional Buildings is against the law,” Burch said in a statement.
