Mennonite Action protesters Tim Seidel, front right, Rick Yoder, front left, Ben Rush, back left, and Mike Ramer, back right, are arrested by U.S. Capitol Police during a Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, protest against the war in Gaza outside Sen. Mark Warner's office in Washington, D.C.
Mennonite Action protesters Tim Seidel, front right, Rick Yoder, front left, Ben Rush, back left, and Mike Ramer, back right, are arrested by U.S. Capitol Police during a Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, protest against the war in Gaza outside Sen. Mark Warner's office in Washington, D.C.
Twenty-one Pennsylvania Mennonites were among a group of 120 who traveled to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to protest the war in Gaza, prompting the U.S. Capitol Police to arrest half of the group.
The protesters, organized by the Harrisonburg, Va., branch of Mennonite Action, called “for an end to the killing and forced starvation of the people of Gaza, calling for humanitarian aid to be immediately allowed into Gaza and an end to U.S. weapons to Israel,” according to the group’s statement.
After being turned away at the office of U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the group sat outside the office and sang hymns, what Ben Rush from Lancaster called “a very Mennonite way of protesting.”
The Capitol Police responded and told the protesters to disperse, then arrested 61 members of the group, according to a statement from organizers. They were charged with “Crowding, Obstructing, and Incommoding,” a misdemeanor with punishments of up to 90 days in jail, $500 in fines, or both.
“It is against the law to protest inside the Congressional Buildings. There are other spots on Capitol grounds where demonstrations are allowed,” according to a statement from the U.S. Capitol Police.
All protesters were released within a day, Rush said. Seven of those arrested were from Lancaster County, according to information Rush shared from the group’s sign-up sheets. The group anticipated arrests as part of their civil disobedience plan, he said.
“I’m committed to my faith and because it is such an important part of my life, I feel like I have to speak out against atrocities,” Rush said.
Mennonites are Christians in the Anabaptist tradition, Protestants who trace their roots back to the 16th century.
“Mennonites have been a tradition of largely pacifists and a peaceful reflection on the message of Jesus,” according to Matthew D. Taylor, senior Christian scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies in Baltimore, Maryland. He added that the religious tradition’s adherents are skeptical of tying religious views to political power.
Mennonite Action started in November 2023 as a response to Israel’s war tactics in Gaza, Rush said. The group opposes the use of Christianity by President Donald Trump’s administration to justify policies, according to its website.
Mennonite Action has also organized protests against immigration enforcement efforts, Rush said.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
