WATCH: AOC and 17 Other Members of Congress Arrested at Supreme Court Abortion Protest
Screenshot via Twitter
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was filmed being escorted away by police from an abortion rights protest outside the Capitol on Tuesday.
Protesters were demonstrating against the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court and were joined by Ocasio-Cortez and a number of other Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). Numerous Democratic lawmakers ended up being arrested by police.
Footage of Ocasio-Cortez being escorted away from the protest was published on Twitter by Daily Signal’s Douglas Blair and Axios’ Andrew Solender.
Ocasio-Cortez can be seen in the video being escorted by one officer and holding her hands behind her back as if handcuffed, though she is not in handcuffs. As she’s walked away from other demonstrators, she threw one fist in the air in a sign of support and then moved her hands back behind her back.
.@AOC has just been escorted by police away from the Supreme Court. pic.twitter.com/F9DOoLq8yJ
— Douglas Blair (@DouglasKBlair) July 19, 2022
Multiple members of Congress, including @AOC, being arrested by Capitol Police for blocking traffic outside the Supreme Court in abortion rights demonstration: pic.twitter.com/fysQN1oBAw
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) July 19, 2022
Blair also posted an image of of a number of demonstrators, including a reported 10 Democratic members of Congress, gathered inside police tape awaiting instructions from officers. Pressley and Ocasio-Cortez among the gathered detained protesters, Blair reported.
A group of detained protesters, including at least 10 Democrat members of Congress, wait for police to give them further instructions. @AyannaPressley and @AOC were taken outside the court by police. pic.twitter.com/gLoHVkIKne
— Douglas Blair (@DouglasKBlair) July 19, 2022
Other footage shows protesters blocking a street and music being played with onlooking officers. At least one other person can be seen being escorted away.
Weeks after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, small protests continue to break out outside the court. There are a a number of representatives here including Rep. Sylvia Garcia from Texas. pic.twitter.com/rF2abBqmhB
— Douglas Blair (@DouglasKBlair) July 19, 2022
Footage posted by Solender gets closer to the detained protesters, showing police asking for identification and the group posing for a selfie, saying together, “Our body! Our choice!”
Multiple members of Congress, including @AOC, being arrested by Capitol Police for blocking traffic outside the Supreme Court in abortion rights demonstration: pic.twitter.com/fysQN1oBAw
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) July 19, 2022
Capitol Police released a statement regarding the protest on Tuesday afternoon, revealing they made a total of 35 arrests, 17 of which were members of Congress. Police took issue with protesters blocking the road, with people being arrested for obstruction, crowding, and incommoding.
We have already given our standard three warnings.
Some of the demonstrators are refusing to get out of the street, so we are starting to make arrests.
— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) July 19, 2022
Correction: We made a total of 35 arrests for Crowding, Obstructing or Incommoding (DC Code § 22–1307).
That arrest number includes 17 Members of Congress.
— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) July 19, 2022
Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) were among the lawmakers arrested.
“I will continue to do everything in my power to raise the alarm about the assault on our reproductive rights!” Omar tweeted about her arrest in one of many proud posts about the protest from Democratic lawmakers.
Today I was arrested while participating in a civil disobedience action with my fellow Members of Congress outside the Supreme Court.
I will continue to do everything in my power to raise the alarm about the assault on our reproductive rights! ✊🏽pic.twitter.com/rpFYOGBDf4
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 19, 2022
Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), the assistant Speaker of the House, posted a photo of an officer escorting her to Twitter and wrote, “They can arrest me, but we won’t allow them to arrest freedom.”
The extremist Republicans are determined to take us back in time and take away our rights. They can arrest me, but we won’t allow them to arrest freedom. #AbortionIsHealthcare #BansOffOurBodies pic.twitter.com/EhywtkojrM
— Katherine Clark (@RepKClark) July 19, 2022
Note: This post has been updated to include additional updates.
