302 protesters including comedian Amy Schumer and model Emily Ratajkowski have been arrested during mass demonstrations in Washington D.C. against the likely Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old while he was in high school.
Schumer, Ratajkowski, and hundreds of others marched towards the steps of the Capitol, but were denied full access by police. Still, the pair spoke against Kavanaugh alongside Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
Just now: @amyschumer speaks out against Kavanaugh to a crowd of thousands. pic.twitter.com/Dr7v4N24AM
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) October 4, 2018
The group then moved on to the Hart Senate Office Building, where a hearing to confirm Kavanaugh’s spot on the Supreme Court is set for Friday local time.
The majority of demonstrators were arrested on the floor of the atrium. Footage captured by MSNBC shows Schumer being cuffed and placed against a wall before being processed.
Actress Amy Schumer is detained with other anti-Kavanaugh protesters at the Hart Senate Office Bldg. atrium on Capitol Hill. pic.twitter.com/C8N0k97ZE9
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 4, 2018
Ratajkowski shared a post on Instagram saying she was also arrested.
The protests come after a grim fortnight of backlash against Dr Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor who brought her allegation of sexual assault at the hands of a teenaged Kavanaugh before the Senate last week.
She alleges that along with a friend, a drunken Kavanaugh held her down in a bedroom and groped her in 1982. During her Senate Judiciary Committee testimony, Dr Ford said “I believed he was going to rape me.
“I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming.”
Kavanaugh vehemently denied the allegation, claiming her statement was without merit, and should not bar him from what amounts to a lifetime job in the United States‘ most influential positions.
He has received support from the likes of President Donald Trump, who openly mocked Dr Blasey Ford, and the vast majority of the Republican Party.
Still, Republican Senator Jeff Flake last week pushed for the FBI to conduct another investigation into the claims, holding up Kavanaugh’s official selection.
That report has been tabled. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer – a relative of Amy Schumer – today stated the investigation appears to have been severely limited in its scope.
And finally, to say that this investigation exonerates Judge Kavanaugh, or to say that this is a complete investigation, is patently false. Chairman Grassley’s claim that there is no hint of misconduct in these documents is just not true.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) October 4, 2018
Whether the Senate moves to confirm Kavanaugh or not, the entire ordeal has been deeply damaging for sexual assault survivors who are demanding their claims be taken seriously. Expect more protests to arise either way.
This article discusses sexual assault. If you would like to talk to a counsellor about rape, sexual assault or domestic violence, give the people over at 1800 RESPECT a call on 1800 737 732.
