Over 400 protesters arrested in Washington DC
US police have arrested more than 400 people in Washington DC for protesting against the role of money in politics, authorities say.
The protesters staged massive sit-ins at the US Capitol building on Monday "to demand Congress take immediate action to end the corruption of big money in our politics and ensure free and fair elections," Democracy Spring, the group that organized the demonstration, said on its website.
They chanted slogans like "one person, one vote" and "money out of politics" as they were sitting on the East Front of the Capitol.
One sign read "Things go better without Koch," a reference to the billionaire businessmen David and Charles Koch, who have pledged to lead a campaign worth almost $900 million to support their favored candidates.
The Democracy Spring movement protesters were calling on Congress to take serious measures to reduce the influence of money in politics, expand and protect voting rights, and ensure equal voice for all Americans in the US government.
The demonstrators were also demanding that the Senate fulfill its constitutional responsibilities pertaining to the Supreme Court.
“People are fed up with the system, they are fed up with the corruption, and we want free and fair elections,” Cenk Uygur, host of the TV show Young Turks and one of the protesters told RT. “This is our core American right.”
Among the people arrested were Uygur and other prominent activists, including retired Police Captain Ray Lewis.
“What we see now is not a democracy, it’s become an oligarchy,” Holly Mosher, producer for the ‘Pay 2 Play’ documentary, told RT. “It’s time to clean up Congress.”
“Let’s get together, let’s clean this up, let’s make some solutions. Corporations are not people, money is not speech,” she added.
Police took several protestors into a bus and shuttle vans while they were in plastic handcuffs.
The majority of the demonstrators had marched from Philadelphia to Washington during the past week.
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