SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Chanting, singing, and demanding an immediate cease-fire to the war in Gaza, more than 1,000 protesters took over the Capitol building Jan. 3.
“What matters is the sanctity and sacredness of our lives,” Jennifer Esteen, protester and Alameda County supervisor candidate, told the crowd. “Today is the first day of the legislative session, and we have told leaders that there will be no business as usual while people are dying.”
Wearing face masks, the group waited throughout the building for the gallery doors to open for the first Assembly session of the year scheduled for 1 p.m.
Once inside, the crowd of mixed races and representing all ages removed outer layers of clothing to reveal matching black tee-shirts reading: “Jews say: not in our name” and “cease fire now.”
Prompted by a female organizer in the middle of the gallery, protesters broke into a chorus of verses and chants calling for an end to the war.
Large red and black banners demanding cease-fire were unfurled and hung from the gallery balcony as the volume from the protests escalated.
Lawmakers made several attempts to bring the room—after a couple of minutes—to order before calling for an adjournment with no mention of the ongoing demonstration.
Protesters continued to sing and chant as legislators filed out of the room.
Turning off the lights failed to stop the scene, as many in the gallery used flashlights on their phones to illuminate the room.
One lawmaker acknowledged the right to protest but said the Legislature must be able to meet without distraction.
“This level of disruption cannot continue,” Minority Leader Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) told The Epoch Times after the meeting was adjourned. “We have to conduct state business without interruption.”
Protesters then gathered in the Capitol rotunda for several hours of speeches mixed with chants of “free, free Palestine,” among others.
“We are here today with hundreds of Jewish voices,” Liv Kunin-Berkowitz, media coordinator for the human rights group Jewish Voice for Peace, told The Epoch Times during the protest. “We’re calling on our leaders to stand up and demand an end to genocide.”
Others said complacency is equivalent to complicity and suggested California taxpayers’ money should not be used to fund foreign wars.
“There are no innocent bystanders,” protester Binya Kóatz told The Epoch Times. “We want to make sure California’s tax dollars stay in the community.”
Organizers said protests will continue until the end of the war, which began after Israel was attacked by Hamas terrorists Oct. 7.
Following the terrorist attack, Israel responded in force—with tens of thousands reportedly killed in Gaza.
Since then, protests have erupted across the United States, with dozens of gatherings in Northern California over the last three months. Groups coordinated efforts to disrupt city council and county supervisors’ meetings and stall traffic in the Bay Area.
Additionally, the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento was overwhelmed by protesters in December—with several individuals at the Capitol Jan. 3 telling The Epoch Times that they were also involved in the earlier protest.
With emotions running high on both sides of the issue, some Assembly Republicans intend to introduce a resolution in January condemning Hamas.
“As leaders, we must be clear and unequivocal—we condemn the murder, rape, torture and mutilation of innocent people that was committed by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7,” Mr. Gallagher said in a Dec. 22 press release announcing the resolution. “This is a time to come together and say clearly that there is no place for Hamas’ savage ideology of terror and hate.”
California Highway Patrol responded to the scene, though no arrests were made. Protesters ultimately walked to a nearby park to join forces with another pro-Palestinian protest.
Lawmakers will be back at the Capitol Jan. 4 for the second day of the session.
