President Joe Biden gave quite the "malarkey-filled" speech on Monday at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, as Spencer covered, which included the president responding to "ceasefire now" agitators. While Biden himself may have been criticized for how he handled the speech, including by black voters, these protesters went for a particularly vile move in violating the sacred space in such a way. Then again, to expect them to behave differently would be rather naive.
Biden and his administration have been signaling decreasing support for Israel, especially under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for some time now since the October 7 terrorist attack that Hamas perpetrated, as we've discussed at length. Pollsters are just convinced it's why Biden's losing support from young people. That lack of support certainly on display earlier this week.
As the agitators erupted in chants of "ceasefire now," other audience members tried to drown them out with chants of "four more years," turning the church space into even more of a political spectacle than it already had been.
"If you really care about the lives lost here, then you should honor the lives lost and call for a ceasefire in Palestine," one person even shamefully declared in bringing up a completely unrelated matter, though the word choice at least highlights how it's not Israel that a ceasefire helps.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Look, folks, I understand their--I understand their passion," Biden said in response to those disrupting the event. "And I’ve been quietly working--I’ve been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza. I’ve been using all that I can to do that," he said to applause. Other audience members continued to shout out, including how Biden was "an understanding person" and "a good man."
BREAKING: Biden looks stunned as protestors disrupt Biden's remarks at Mother Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 8, 2024
"Ceasefire now!"
BIDEN: "I understand their passion...I've been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them...out of Gaza!" pic.twitter.com/k59nUylRgU
The disruption, as Sister Toldjah at our sister site of RedState highlighted, did not go over well with many of those in attendance. In fact, it retraumatized those who remember the June 2015 shooting that occurred at the church when Dylann Roof killed nine parishioners, all black, taking part in a Bible study there. This included family members of the victims.
*Susie Jackson’s niece. Susie Jackson was one of the nine killed in 2015.
— Fritz Farrow (@FritzFarrow) January 9, 2024
Jean Ortiz who was present during the 2015 shooting also expressed the same feeling to me.
— Gabriella Abdul-Hakim (@gabdulhakim_) January 8, 2024
"I thought they were terrible. Like it kind of gave me a flashback...it was the same way with Dylann Roof." https://t.co/bMvxplrgtQ
That such people would erupt at a church is shameful but not surprising. Among the pro-Hamas ceasefire crowd is those who would shut down highways and bridges, putting organ transfers at risk in addition to angering and inconveniencing untold mounts of people. They've stormed the White House gates and the DNC, erupted multiple times at Grand Central Station, have desecrated the American flag and on Veterans Day no less, and recently, even military cemeteries.
It wasn't just those in attendance at the church speaking out, but MSNBC host Symone Sanders-Townsend, who used to work for the Biden administration, specifically for Vice President Kamala Harris. She posted and reposted about the incident, revealing that those in attendance had been asked not to cause the very scene that they did.
Ahead of Biden’s arrival, anticipating that there might be protests, the pastor of Mother Emanuel specifically asked for the people attending to show respect for the church by not interrupting.
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) January 8, 2024
Both protestors who interrupted at the historic Black church were white https://t.co/CA1903IKTU
Mother Emanuel AME is hallowed ground in the AME church community and in Charleston especially. The shock of people in the crowd at protesters yelling out while President Biden was speaking from the pulpit cannot be overstated. I too couldn't believe it.
— Symone D. Sanders Townsend (@SymoneDSanders) January 8, 2024
The quote tweets tell me everything I need to know. https://t.co/pD6nR0Y7Jv
— Symone D. Sanders Townsend (@SymoneDSanders) January 8, 2024
The replies and quoted reposts to such posts have included people doubling down on the pro-Hamas talking point.
It's worth pointing out that last month Harris was similarly confronted by such people, when a state representative from her own party demanded a ceasefire and shouting narratives about how "baby Jesus is under rubble." Harris said a few words and then reminded "right now, I am speaking."
A Democrat state representative from Delaware interrupted Kamala Harris's holiday party tonight screaming about a ceasefire. Kamala responds with, "Right now, I am speaking." pic.twitter.com/O8uockwr0A
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 12, 2023
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