Republican Figures Compare Jewish Protesters Urging for Gaza Ceasefire to January 6 Protesters
Jose Nino
|
Republican elected officials likened Jewish American protesters participating at a October 25 peace protest at the Cannon House Office Building’s rotunda to January 6, 2021 protesters.
In light of this development, Republican elected officials and media pundits have called for the hundreds of Jewish protesters detained by Capitol Police to charge them with committing an insurrection. On top of that, they want Congressman Rashida Tlaib to receive criminal penalties for inciting the sit-in inside of a congressional office building.
Between 300 and 500 activists were detained in the aforementioned building. Per a Capitol Police account of the event, three individuals were charged with assault on a police officer, after police took down banners that read “Cease-fire now.”
Tlaib and Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush co-sponsored a resolution calling for a ceasefire. The two congresswomen, along with author Naomi Klein, spoke before a rally on the National Mall before the sit-in.
“Since we were children, so many of us have told ourselves that we would not stand by if we were ever witnesses to genocidal violence. We told ourselves that we would raise our voices. We told ourselves we would put our bodies on the line. We pledged that such horrors would never again happen on our watch,” stated Klein. “The ‘never again’ of our lifetimes is underway in Gaza right now. And we refuse to stand by and watch.”
Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote a letter to the chief of Capitol Police calling on Capitol Police to keep all video surveillance footage, photographic evidence, law enforcement reports, and arrest records connected to the demonstrations of October 25.
In the letter, Greene alluded to protest organizer Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization that Jewish supremacist advocacy organization Anti-Defamation League described as a “pro-Islamic antisemitic group that seeks the destruction of the State of Israel.”
Greene accused Tlaib of “[organizing] an insurrection today that broke federal law. She coordinated with Global Intifada and anti-Israel JVP. They all must be held in the DC gulag and Tlaib must be held accountable.”
Additionally, Greene described Tlaib as a “terrorist sympathizer” who “followed Hezbollah’s orders for a ‘day of unprecedented anger.’”
The irony here is that since January 6, Greene and her congressional allies have tried to frame those who stormed the Capitol after former President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally as political prisoners and victims. She even visited several protesters who were charged and convicted in prison.
Greene was joined by Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller. She posted the following on X:
“INSURRECTIONISTS are storming the Capitol in support of Hamas. They are interrupting official government proceedings. Will there be federal charges? Solitary confinement? Will FBI raid their homes? WHO PAID for their buses, signs & T-shirts? I’ll join [Greene] to get answers,” wrote GOP Rep. Mary Miller (Illinois). Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles similarly launched accusations of “Hamas insurrectionists” of completely occupying the rotunda.
Kevin Sorbo, actor and pro-Trump figure who previously accused the January 6 protesters of being paid leftist agitators, declare: “What happened today was an actual insurrection. Where’s the media coverage?”
Orthodox Jewish conservative influencer Chaya Raichik and her Libs of TikTok account stated “a group of pro-Palestinian insurrectionists stormed the Capitol today. Have any of them been arrested, hunted down, or thrown in gulags yet? Will any of them get 17-22-year prison sentences? Shaking.”
She continued: “Rashida Tlaib lied to a crowd of protesters. They then stormed the Capitol in an act of violence. It’s looking like she incited the insurrection today. When will she be investigated by Jack Smith,” she continued, making a reference to the Department of Justice special counsel who indicted Trump.
Benny Johnson, chief creative officer for conservative organization Turning Point USA, chimed in saying: “When pro-Palestine protesters storm the Capitol, they are victims of police brutality. When Trump supporters protest at the Capitol, they are domestic terrorists who get shot and killed or locked in solitary confinement for years without trial.”
At the end of the day, peaceful protesters should not be arrested whatsoever. Indeed, there are peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters at these events. However, there are lots of bad apples – owing to the large jihadist subsection of the Palestinian supporter base.
Tabs should be kept on those activists for obvious reasons. However, it’s a mistake to be calling for crackdowns against people who have controversial views.
What January 6 has taught us is that America needs a reassertion of free speech rights. Such liberties are under constant assault in these times of mass polarization.
Republicans like Greene should not be wasting their time trying to kick Israel’s boots. Instead they should be spending their political capital on protecting their constituents and restoring order in the US.
Share: