In a shocking incident captured on video, U.S. Congressman Mike Ezell from Mississippi was seen knocking a cellphone out of the hand of an antiwar activist who was questioning him about the killing of Palestinians. The incident took place in a hallway before a House committee meeting in Washington, where two activists from the antiwar group CodePink confronted Ezell about the Israel-Hamas war.
In the video, one of the activists can be heard asking Ezell if Israel should accept a peace proposal, to which Ezell responds by knocking down the cellphone being used to record the interaction. The activist, identified as Sumer Mobarak, a Palestinian American, accused Ezell of supporting the killing of her people and filed an assault charge against him.
The U.S. Capitol Police are currently investigating the incident, but Ezell’s spokesperson defended his actions, stating that the protesters were backed by China and were trying to intimidate members of Congress into changing their stance on Israel and Hamas. Ezell, who was a sheriff before being elected to Congress in 2022, is seeking reelection this year and reaffirmed his support for Israel against terrorism.
CodePink, on the other hand, maintains that “China is not our enemy” on its website. The incident has sparked controversy and raised questions about freedom of speech and the right to protest in the United States.