Police arrested nearly two dozen pro-Palestinian demonstrators for blocking traffic in Washington, D.C. while demanding a ceasefire and an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza at a Feb. 1 protest.

Twenty-three protesters faced charges and arrest for blocking traffic on various D.C. roads, with the U.S. Capitol Police making 11 arrests, the U.S. Park Police making four and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) making eight. Palestine Youth Movement (PYM), a global group of young people that advocates for Palestinian liberation and organizes the protests, said they aimed to disrupt the routines of those involved in or benefiting from the conflict in Gaza — particularly members of the U.S. government — by obstructing their commute to work.

“We are ensuring those who facilitate and benefit from the ongoing genocide in Gaza are unable to make it to work and carry out those criminal acts,” PYM wrote on their Instagram, @dmvpym. “Those who work in Congress, the White House, or the State Department — the war criminals directly complicit — were not be able to proceed to their jobs to conduct and facilitate genocide as if its business as usual.” 

Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, there have been numerous rallies and protests at the U.S. Capitol and across the District, notably the national march at Freedom Plaza on Nov. 4, which drew over 300,000 demonstrators. The increase in resistance from activists calling for a cease-fire stemmed from escalations of violence in Gaza, marked by Israeli attacks, amid ongoing tensions over the Israeli occupation.

The PYM shared videos on their Instagram displaying demonstrators sitting in roadways near the U.S. Department of State. Protestors held posters with messages such as “Free Palestine” and “End U.S. Aid to Israel.” Footage also shows protestors being arrested while continuing chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “End the occupation now.”

MPD said they made eight arrests on the charges of “crowding, obstructing or incommoding,” the legal term for obstructing the use of streets. 

“MPD officers made eight arrests during Thursday morning’s demonstrations,” an MPD spokesperson wrote to The Hoya. “All of these arrests occurred near the intersection of 23rd Street and Constitution Avenue NW.”

Mark Lance, a justice and peace studies professor at Georgetown University who specializes in social movements and protest methods, said the goal of civil disobedience in the form of protests is to urge political figures to listen to and act on demonstrators’ concerns.

“In the US, we are primarily trying to put pressure on our own country, which is, of course, paying for and arming and politically facilitating what’s going on,” Lance wrote to The Hoya.

PYM temporarily shut down five major roadways — Interstate 395 northbound at 14th St. NW, I-395 northbound at C St. and D St. NW, 23rd St. and Constitution Ave. NW, southbound on North Capitol St. NW and E St. NW and 5th St. and Independence Ave. NW — according to their Instagram.

Capitol police also arrested 11 people in the vicinity of Washington Ave. SW and C and D Sts. SW, with the remaining four occurring at the intersection of 23rd St. and Constitution Ave. NW.

Despite persistent efforts from the protestors, the police disbanded the protest after approximately one hour, and the city lifted all road closures by 11 a.m. Nevertheless, traffic gridlocks continued to affect drivers traveling into the District on the Key, Roosevelt Memorial and 14th St. Bridges.

Lance said although civil disobedience methods like road blockades help to engage people in social issues, he feels economic forms of protest have a greater chance of propelling long-term change. 

“Protest unites people, it educates people, it draws more people into the movement,” Lance wrote. “I think in the long run, this building of economic pressure through divestment and direct boycotts is what’s got the best chance of ultimately making a difference. But protests play a role in building for that.”

Lance said although these protestors may face public pushback or risk arrest, he feels the resistance will encourage solidarity among activists. 

“People will be antagonized, and people will attack the movement,” Lance said. “But you have to believe in what you believe in and you have to live according to your values. And I don’t think it’s going to intimidate anybody into stopping.”