Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) criticized anti-Israel protesters who yell and show up places in order to get their point across, noting that doing so makes each look like an “a**hole.”
In an interview with Fox News, Fetterman labeled some of the anti-Israel protests occurring throughout the United States as being “not appropriate or legal or helpful” in protesters getting their point across.
“It is not appropriate or legal or helpful to advance your argument if you show up in a Starbucks with a bullhorn and start yelling at people,” Fetterman explained, adding that those kinds of protests do not make them look “noble.”
Fetterman added, “It just makes you an a**hole.”
Fetterman’s remarks come as anti-Israel encampments and protests have erupted on college and university campuses across the U.S., such as Columbia University, Yale University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Anti-Israel protests and rallies have also spread to the University of North Carolina, Boston University, and Ohio State University.
After Hamas, a U.S.-designated Islamic terror group, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, by land, sea, and air — leaving roughly 1,200 Israelis dead and taking more than 200 people hostage — there has been an increase in anti-Israel protests across the nation, calling for a ceasefire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Since Hamas’s attack on Israel, Fetterman has defended Israel and criticized anti-Israel protesters.
While Fetterman has criticized anti-Israel protesters, he noted, “It’s very American to protest and to do that in the appropriate way.”
Fetterman continued to reference protests, such as ones blocking traffic, adding that people could be dealing with “an emergency.” He also expressed concern for people who are “going to be late for work” and might “lose their job” or people who “have to pick up their kids” or drop them off.
