Authorities arrested 126 people protesting the Pennsylvania state government’s investment into Israeli bonds on Monday, February 5. A spokesman for the Pennsylvania Capitol Police stated that 126 people were taken into custody at an unpermitted, unauthorized demonstration.

The protestors were ordered to disperse before being taken into custody, issued citations for trespassing, and then released from custody. The crowd of protesters were wearing matching shirts that read “Divest from Genocide” and chanted “Free Palestine.”

The protest was organized by the Pennsylvania Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Philly Palestine Coalition, and Jewish Voice for Peace. The demonstration started outside of the capitol building in the morning but moved into the rotunda during the afternoon.

Pennsylvania State Treasurer Stacy Garrity said that treasurers from both parties have invested in Israeli bonds for more than three decades. Pennsylvania’s share of Israeli bonds rose by $20 million after the Hamas attack that initiated the current war in Gaza and is currently at $56 million.

The state also holds about $8 million in other Israeli-based securities, together with the $56 million that amounts to 0.14 percent of the funds the Treasury Department actively manages, according to Garrity.

It seems that the protest has done little to change the Treasurer’s viewpoint. “Israel is America’s greatest ally in the Middle East. After the horrific and deadly attacks perpetrated against Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas, I unequivocally stand in solidarity with our ally,” she said.