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Anti-War Protesters Repeatedly Interrupt Secretary of State Antony Blinken's Senate Testimony on Israel (VIDEOS)

Published: October 31, 2023
  |   By Cassandra MacDonald

Code Pink anti-war protesters repeatedly interrupted Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s testimony during Tuesday’s Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Israel and Ukraine’s budget requests.

The demonstrators sat with their hands up and covered in fake blood during the hearing, as they claim the United States has blood on their hands over the massive civilian deaths happening in Gaza.

As Blinken spoke, one of them would interrupt, get escorted out, and he would resume. Soon after, another protester would do the same, and the process would repeat.

The first protester pointed to Geneva Convention protocol, which prohibits bombing areas that are densely populated by civilians.

“Stop supporting the genocide and ethnic cleansing of the people of Gaza,” the protester declared.

“Cease-fire now! Save the children of Gaza! Save the children of Gaza! Cease-fire now! Where is your pride, American?”  he continued to shout as he was removed from the room.

Committee Chair Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat, called for order.

“I do recognize that people feel very passionately, but I ask that we have order in their hearing room and respect our speakers,” Murray said. “We will move forward with the hearing and allow the people here and the American people to hear from their witnesses.”

Soon, another protester stood up and brought the testimony to a halt.

“The world is calling for a cease-fire!” the demonstrator shouted. “The American people don’t want to support this brutal war. Stop the war. Cease-fire now. Stop funding this brutal massacre that Israel is doing on the people of Gaza. Cease-fire now! Cease-fire now! Cease-fire now!”

This continued throughout the hearing, as three more protesters took turns standing up and doing the same. A large group remained seated with their red-stained hands up.

Next, a large group of protesters stood up and began chanting for a cease-fire.

Eventually, Blinken addressed the protest, saying that he can “hear, very much, the passions expressed in this room and outside this room.”

“All of us are committed to the protection of civilian life. All of us know the suffering that is taking place as we speak. All of us are determined to see it end,” he said. “But all of us know the imperative of standing up with our allies and partners when their security, when their democracies are threatened. That’s what happening now. We stand resolutely with them even as we stand resolutely for the protection of innocent civilians.”

Code Pink is a women-led organization that was founded two decades ago by Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin to oppose the war in Iraq.

The organization’s founding statement read, “Women around the world to rise up and oppose the war in Iraq. We call on mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and daughters, on workers, students, teachers, healers, artists, writers, singers, poets and every ordinary outraged woman willing to be outrageous for peace. Women have been the guardians of life — not because we are better or purer or more innately nurturing than men, but because the men have busied themselves making war.”

Benjamin was one of the protesters at Tuesday’s hearing.

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