Posters featuring photos of the more than 100 people still being held hostage by Hamas-led militants in Gaza were torn down outside U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider’s office at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, according to the congressman’s office.
Schneider, a Democrat from Illinois, called the vandalism “a vile act of hate.”
“This was a shameful act on any day, but especially on July 4, our country’s Independence Day,” Schneider said in a statement.
The posters featured the pictures of more than 100 people, including eight Americans, who have been held hostage by Hamas since the militant group’s Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel.
U.S. Capitol Police confirmed they were investigating the vandalism, but declined to provide further information.
The vandalism outside Schneider’s office on Capitol Hill comes less than a week after pro-Palestinian protesters held an overnight rally outside Schneider’s home in Highland Park starting around 2:45 a.m. on Saturday.
The noisy protest prompted several complaints from neighbors, who wondered why more wasn’t done in response at such an hour.
City officials said police arrived on the scene within minutes of receiving a series of complaints, and saw around 40 protesters gathered on the sidewalk, holding up banners and shouting “pro-Palestinian and antisemitic chants” using loudspeakers and drums.
While police said there were antisemitic chants, CBS News Chicago could not confirm that was the case in the available video footage of the protest. In videos posted to social media, protestors can be heard saying “Free Free Palestine” and “Resistance is justified when there is a genocide.”
Schneider’s office said a red liquid that appeared to be some kind of animal blood was poured on the sidewalk.
Police said officers used de-escalation tactics and were able to disperse the crowd, with all protesters leaving by 3:15 a.m. Officers remained on scene for two additional hours after the protesters left for investigation and the safety of residents, officials said.
Protesters vowed “we will be back” while planting Palestinian flags in the grass.
No arrests were made and no citations were issued after the protest outside Schneider’s home.
An Instagram post showing the demonstration included a caption reading, “Chicago organizers wake up Brad Schneider at 2:30 a.m. to demand he re-funds UNRWA and ends the U.S.-backed genocide.” The post was found on the Instagram page “Direct Actions for Palestine,” which tagged the Pro-Palestinian groups American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) Chicago and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Chicago.
As seen in the Instagram post, protesters took issue with Schneider over Congress’ defunding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and for Congress’ approval of military aid to Israel.