Pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to breach the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in Washington D.C. Wednesday night, leading to a lockdown of congressional facilities and numerous arrests. The latest clash comes as a pro-Palestinian protester was arrested after knocking down a Jewish man, leading to his death.
According to law enforcement, a number of protesters gathered around the DNC near the Capitol. During the protests, several dozen of those involved got into a physical confrontation with police.
The U.S. Capitol Police wrote on social media that the officers were “working to keep back approximately 150 people who are illegally and violently protesting in the area of Canal Street and Ivy Street, SE.”
The Washington Post isn’t covering this riot.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) November 16, 2023
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) wrote that he was evacuated from the DNC “after pro-terrorist, anti-#Israel protestors grew violent, pepper spraying police officers and attempting to break into the building. Thankful to the police officers who stopped them and for helping me and my colleagues get out safely.”
The violent protests in Washington occurred as a pro-Palestinian man was arrested in California for the death of a counterprotester.
Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji allegedly struck Paul Kessler, leading to his death. Alnaji was charged with involuntary manslaughter and held on $1 million bail by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was caused by bleeding and brain swelling due to the incident.
A member of the department said that the agency would not release more information at this time but that “there will be additional information released later today.”
According to witnesses, Alnaji struck Kessler with a megaphone, leading Kessler to fall and strike his head on the concrete.
The sheriff’s department further requested that anyone who recorded any element of the protest contact the detective in the case.
The suspect is a professor at a local college. He allegedly reposted a video on Instagram that praised Hamas. The video said that “If someone asked me to condemn Hamas I would say, what’s the rush? Let’s let history decide.”
