Police arrested a woman on Monday for allegedly assaulting an officer during a protest outside of the Russian embassy in Washington, DC.
Demonstrators gathered outside of the embassy to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where Vladimir Putin’s forces have increased brutal shelling attacks on civilians and major metro areas as Russia’s suffered surprise military setbacks in its campaign. One banner at the Monday event called out Russia for the “mass terror unleashed on innocent civilians”.
During the protest, a woman was filmed having a heated encounter with uniformed Secret Service agents on hand, who protect foreign diplomatic missions in the capital.
According to a clip of the exchange on Twitter, an officer can be heard speaking with the woman about the limits of protest on a “public sidewalk” and she can be heard saying, “The UN says we’re sovereign.”
Then, she spits in the face of the officer and calls him a “b****” and walks away, before a group of three agents put her in handcuffs. In the video, she continues to struggle with officers, spitting in their faces again before they tackle her into the pavement.
In the background, onlookers can be heard telling the officers, “F*** you,” and calling Russia a “terrorist state”.
The Secret Service confirmed to WUSA that an arrest was made during the protest. The Independent has contacted the agency for further information.
Russia’s revamped attacks on Ukrainian civilians have attracted protests around the world.
Earlier this week, hundreds gathered outside of the Russian embassy in Warsaw, Poland, where demonstrators arged Russia should be labelled a terrorist state and have its diplomats expelled from foreign missions.
Russian missile strikes have killed at least 11 people in Ukrainian cities in recent days, with the US labeling the new offensive a series of “horrific strikes” on innocents.
Poland, which itself has a long and complicated history with Russian aggression, has been a major support of the Ukrainian government, and has taken in millions of refugees fleeing the war.
