On January 16, approximately 350 Mennonites from across the U.S. met in Washington, D.C. to protest the violence in Gaza. Organized by Mennonite Action, a new grassroots group, they took a petition calling for “an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza, an end to weapons funding, a release of all hostages and liberation for Palestine,” with 5,000 signatures, to members of Congress.
After 135 members of the group legally entered the Cannon House Building, they gathered in the rotunda, singing from a “Hymns for a Ceasefire” handbook printed for the occasion, and were arrested. They have been charged with “crowding, obstructing or incommoding” under the D.C. Code, according to the Washington Post. All were released by end of day.
Mennonite Action calls for Canadians to join in, with an upcoming ecumenical peace vigil planned in Ottawa on February 9.
