About 60 people were arrested outside the US Capitol on Friday evening after a protest escalated, according to Capitol Police. The incident began when a group of about 75 demonstrators, initially gathered peacefully at the Supreme Court, moved toward the Capitol. Police had set up bike racks as a barrier, but some in the group pushed through and headed for the rotunda steps, reports
CNN . Officers quickly intervened and made arrests. Two of the individuals who were arrested were taken to a hospital for "further treatment," though it's not clear what their injuries were, per
CBS News .
All those detained face charges of unlawful demonstration and crossing a police line, with some also accused of assaulting officers and resisting arrest. A law enforcement source told CNN the protest was linked to a veterans group opposing fascism. The
Washington Post reports that two veterans groups, About Face: Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace , organized the demonstration.
"We're supposed to have a government with checks and balances, and we have a president who's clearly acting with a disregard for the rule of law and for the Constitution," says Army veteran and protest organizer Brittany Ramos DeBarros. "President Trump threatened Americans coming to exercise their [First Amendment] rights would be met with 'great force,'" Michael? T.? McPhearson, director of Veterans for Peace, said in an
Instagram post . "We are the actual people who put uniforms on because we believe in the freedoms this country is supposed to be about and we will not be intimidated into silence."
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The protest and arrests happened just ahead of a major weekend in Washington, DC, as the Army prepares to mark its 250th birthday. Large crowds are expected for events and a parade featuring military equipment, which also coincides with President Trump's 79th birthday. Thousands of "No Kings" anti-Trump protests are also expected to take place nationwide on Saturday. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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