Sen. Kyrsten Sinema blasted far-left activists who harassed her at Arizona State University and chased her into a bathroom, calling their actions “illegitimate protest.”
While she said she supports the First Amendment rights of those who criticize her policy decisions and will engage with Arizonans who have different points of view, what happened when the activists confronted her at ASU on Build Back Better and immigration policy was “unacceptable,” she said.
"It is unacceptable for activist organizations to instruct their members to jeopardize themselves by engaging in unlawful activities such as gaining entry to closed university buildings, disrupting learning environments, and filming students in a restroom," Sinema said in a statement on Monday.
"In the 19 years I have been teaching at ASU, I have been committed to creating a safe and intellectually challenging environment for my students," the senator continued. "Yesterday, that environment was breached. My students were unfairly and unlawfully victimized. This is wholly inappropriate."
She concluded: "It is the duty of elected leaders to avoid fostering an environment in which honestly-held policy disagreements serve as the basis for vitriol -- raising the temperature in political rhetoric and creating a permission structure for unacceptable behavior."
Statement Following Events at ASU on Sunday pic.twitter.com/4d3BF9P8CO
— Kyrsten Sinema (@SenatorSinema) October 4, 2021
Both Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin have been harassed in recent days over their opposition to the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package. The Arizona Democrat also faced activists at the airport Monday and during her flight.
Message from Karina - I am a DACA recipient from Arizona who volunteered to help elect Sen. Sinema. I asked her to follow through on her promises to immigrants in Arizona and support citizenship through reconciliation. pic.twitter.com/iw4nsrI2v7
— ADAC (@TheADAC) October 4, 2021
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema just arrived at DCA, where a small number of protestors were waiting. They asked her what she would cut from the larger human infrastructure package. Sinema did not answer. pic.twitter.com/4EXCGDxwIl
— Kyle Stewart (@KyleAlexStewart) October 4, 2021
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