Demonstrators demanding that Congress reauthorizes the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – an international HIV/AIDS relief program – stormed the office of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Monday. Six of the activists who entered and then occupied the Speaker’s office were arrested by the Capitol Police. Their hands were bound with zip ties instead of handcuffs, a common practice used for mass arrests during political protests where the arrested individuals are booked on minor charges and promptly released.
🚨NOW: Protesters are occupying Kevin McCarthy’s office demanding that he re-authorize PEPFAR, the HIV/AIDS relief program.
pic.twitter.com/RDKiN0QBqH— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 11, 2023
Conservative commentator Byron York pointed out on X (formerly Twitter) that the six arrested protestors could be charged, albeit unlikely, with several serious crimes including “1) Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; 2) Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; 3) Impeding Passage Through the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; 4) Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building…”.
The punishment for the charges vary, though each carries a maximum 6 months to a year in prison.
Protestors who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 have been handed sentences far in excess of those usually handed down for unlawful behavior in government buildings. Over 1,000 of the protestors present that day have been arrested, nearly 500 have received sentences, and 277 have been given prison time. The prison sentences have ranged from as little as 3 years to upwards of 20 years or more.