Left-wing protesters descend upon Capitol Hill seeking end to Ukraine War

At least 11 of the demonstrators were arrested outside Bernie Sanders's office.

By Ben Whedon

Published: October 4, 2023 4:51pm

Left-wing activists on Wednesday protested outside congressional offices demanding that the Biden administration push for a negotiated end to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Russia invaded the Eastern European nation in February of 2022 and the conflict remains unsettled. Russian forces have seized large swathes of the nation's southern territories and Kyiv has largely been unable to dislodge them despite a concerted counteroffensive effort that has brought considerable loss of life.

The group consisted of members of Code Pink and the Peace in Ukraine Coalition, The Hill reported. The demonstrators largely visited the offices of Democratic and progressive lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. At least 11 of the demonstrators were arrested outside Sanders's office.

Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin called on the administration to pursue talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite Washington's doubts about the prospects for fruitful discussions.

"We say: Try. We want to see Biden talking. We care about lives. We care about the human survival, and we don’t think we’re going to survive as a species if we allow this to go on," she said.

While the organizations demonstrating on Wednesday were decidedly left-leaning in outlook, their stance on the Ukraine War is more in line with that of conservative Republicans than the establishment wings of either major party.

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene highlighted that point in an X post after the demonstrations, in which she revealed she had met with the protesters to discuss their common position on the conflict.

"The war in Ukraine must END! Today, I met brave [Code Pink] activists who protested for peace in Bernie Sanders' office. He had 11 of them arrested! Peace & free speech shouldn’t be a partisan issue. We don’t agree on most things, but we do agree Congress should STOP fueling the war in Ukraine!"

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.