Derrick Van Orden says Code Pink activists attacked him near RNC; police arrest woman

Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden accused an anti-war protester of assault after a Tuesday incident in downtown Milwaukee that prompted a police investigation during the Republican National Convention .

The interaction, which is being investigated as an assault, occurred shortly after 11 a.m. local time, according to the Milwaukee Police Department.

Code Pink, the protest group involved in the incident, denied any assault taking place and rather said Van Orden “tried to shove past” the activist.

Van Orden, a Prairie du Chien Republican, in a statement on X said he was "assaulted” by a Code Pink member in what "appears to be an incident of political violence" as he was in line for an event. He referred to the group, which has protested the war in Gaza, as a "pro-Hamas group."

Officers arrested a 24-year-old woman who "battered" the victim (Van Orden), who "sustained minor injuries and refused medical attention on scene," Milwaukee police told the Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network.

A spokeswoman for Van Orden did not respond to Journal Sentinel questions, including about Van Orden’s reported injuries.

Group says Van Order 'intentionally bumped into' woman

It was not clear Tuesday afternoon whether charges had been filed against the woman. Milwaukee police said only that charges "will be reviewed by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office."

Code Pink in a statement after the arrest identified the woman involved in the incident as the group’s Palestinian campaign organizer, Nour Jaghama. The group said Jaghama, whom they described as "visibly Palestinian," was “intentionally bumped into” by Van Orden “while he tried to shove past her.”

“He tried to cut me in line so I stood in front of him because I was first,” Jaghama said in a video posted by the group to X .

Other Code Pink activists in the video said they were in line for a “Republican women’s brunch” when “someone… came up and shoved her,” one activist said in the video, referring to Jaghama. “It ended up being Derrick Van Orden, a member of Congress from Wisconsin, who, as soon as he ran into her said, ‘You are assaulting a member of Congress.’”

Van Orden says there is no room for political violence

Van Orden, who is running for re-election in the state's 3rd Congressional District, has been involved in confrontations before.

In 2021, he reportedly threatened a teenage librarian over an LGBT book display. And he drew criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike for cursing at a group of high school-aged Senate pages during a late-night tour of the U.S. Capitol.

In his statement after the incident, Van Orden repeatedly mentioned political violence and referred to Saturday’s assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump OPF.

"There is no place for political violence in this country and I have repeatedly called for people who choose this path to be prosecuted to the greatest extent of the law," he wrote. “Nothing will change until these people are held accountable."

At least five other arrests occurred since RNC's start

At least six people have been arrested in Milwaukee since Sunday following the increased security that came after the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania over the weekend.

Three arrests were made near the convention center while two arrests occurred Sunday evening in the lead up to the RNC. The altercation between Van Orden and Jaghama occurred less than a mile away from the Fiserv Forum, where the RNC is being held.

A man was also fatally shot by five Ohio police officers Tuesday about a mile from the Republican National Convention's security perimeter, according to three local law enforcement sources and local residents.

Thirteen Columbus police officers were briefing when they saw an altercation between two people, one of whom was holding a knife in each hand, according to preliminary information provided late Tuesday. When the man did not listen to officers orders to drop the knife, police opened fire, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said.

Contributing: Alison Dirr, The Journal Sentinel , Melissa Cruz, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Derrick Van Orden says Code Pink activists attacked him near RNC; police arrest woman