More than 100 people were arrested at the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg on Monday while protesting the Pennsylvania state government's investments in Israel, CBS News reported.
The arrests shut down the demonstration that was on the Capitol Rotunda in the city, CBS reported, also sourcing the Pennsylvania Capitol Police who said that 126 people were taken into custody. Police also said that the protest was unauthorized and not permitted.
A representative from anti-Zionist organization Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) had a different number than what the police gave, saying that 186 were arrested. JVP organized the demonstration alongside the Philly Palestine Coalition and the Pennsylvania Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Insight into the protesters
All protesters were ordered by officers to disperse before being taken into custody.
Many protestors wore shirts saying "divest from genocide." Another sign said that the state of Pennsylvania should reinvest money invested with Israel to instead go into healthcare, education, and housing.
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, in a statement released by her office, said that treasurers of both parties have invested in Israel bonds for more than three decades, and the state's share of the bonds rose by $20 million after the October 7 massacre and currently stands at $56 million as of Tuesday.
Israel Bonds surpassed $2.7 billion in worldwide investments during 2023, a record-breaking total in the organization’s 72-year history. In the one month following the Hamas massacre on October 7, Israel Bonds secured more than $1 billion in bond investments from investors around the world, with more than 15 US state and municipal governments and institutions having purchased Israel Bonds.