On Tuesday, Sen. Tom Cotton doubled down on comments calling for people to “force out” some of the protesters who have blocked streets because of traffic delays caused by pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
“Of course I support people if they are blocked by traffic Supporter of Hamas Vigilantes on the street should get out of their cars, move them to the side of the road and let traffic flow,” Cotton, R-Ark., told NBC News on Tuesday.
Asked if he had called for violence against the protesters, Cotton said he had not.
“I’m saying if people are trying to go to work or pick up their kids from school or take a sick child to the doctor and you have Hamas supporters blocking the streets, they should come out and move these people.” streets,” Cotton said. “The police will get there eventually. But in the meantime, there will be a lot of damage.”
The day before, Cotton urged people to delay because of traffic Pro-Palestinian demonstrations “taking matters [their] own hands.”
“I encourage people stuck behind pro-Hamas gangs to block traffic: take matters into your own hands to get them out of the way. It’s time to put an end to this nonsense,” Cotton said He wrote in X on monday night.
An Arkansas Republican called protesters blocking the Golden Gate Bridge “criminals” during Fox News. interview He protested on Monday and said he would have been treated differently if the protest had taken place in his home country.
“If something like that had happened in Arkansas, on a bridge over there, let’s say, I think a lot of young criminals would have been thrown overboard — not by law enforcement, but by the people they blocked off. Cotton said.
“If they got their hands on a car or a sidewalk, it would probably be pretty painful to skin them, but I think that’s how we’re going to do it in Arkansas,” he said.
The comments came after protests The war in Gaza The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is closed about five hours at the beginning of the day. A total of 26 people were arrested for the coordinated protest, and several were charged with conspiracy. according to NBC Bay Area.
“You can protest in any way you want. But it is illegal to block the road and prevent people from going to work and emergency workers from helping people. You can’t do that,” said California Highway Patrol Chief Don Goodbrand.
Demonstrations were also held in other cities across the country, such as Chicago and New York.