State Dept Condemns Pro-Hamas Support, Says 'Majority' Of DC Protestors Were 'Patriotic Americans'

2 months ago

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller was asked about the recent protests in Washington, D.C. that featured attendees carrying Hamas banners and flags.

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Transcript

00:00But on the – just pivoting to his address to Congress, I mean, you mentioned that he

00:04didn't say anything that would affect hostage ceasefire talks, but he did say some pretty

00:11derogatory things about U.S. protesters, having mentioned that this is a citadel of democracy,

00:17the United States, and then to call American protesters Tehran's useful idiots, and also

00:26to cite U.S. intelligence saying that Iran had financed protesters.

00:32That is something that has been said, but we don't know the full extent of that.

00:35Do you have anything to say in response to the Israeli prime minister labeling American

00:42protesters in that way, given that this is a substantial part of the voting population

00:47in this country?

00:48Yeah.

00:49Let me just speak about protests in general, including the protests that we saw in Washington

00:53yesterday, including the statement that the director of national intelligence released

00:57– I think it was two weeks ago now.

00:58So first of all, with respect to her statement, she made very clear in releasing it that the

01:04United States, this administration, strongly support the right to protest the actions that

01:09our government takes, and that we have seen Iranian support for protests, but that we

01:15understand that the vast majority of protesters in America are not taking their orders from

01:21Iran, and that most of the people who might have received support from Iran wouldn't

01:27even know that that's where it was coming from.

01:29So I think we ought to just be very clear about the facts that the director of national

01:32intelligence made public in that statement she released.

01:37On the overall issue of protests, so look, as I said, this administration, the United

01:41States, and this administration in particular, strongly supports the right of any American

01:45to protest.

01:47People questioning our government, speaking up, speaking out about the policy choices

01:52that we have made, it's part of the healthy democratic process.

01:56It actually strengthens the fabric of this nation.

02:01But at the same time, something is seriously wrong when you see people marching through

02:08the streets of Washington carrying Hamas banners, literal Hamas banners, carrying the Hamas

02:15flag down the streets of Washington, D.C.

02:18When you see people spray painting on fountains in Washington that Hamas is coming, when you

02:24see them displaying signs calling for the death of Jews, when you see them burning American

02:31flags, it's despicable, it's hateful.

02:36It runs contrary to the values of this country.

02:39I think especially when you consider what that flag that we saw being burned yesterday

02:43stands for.

02:44One of the things it stands for is the right to protest, the right to make your views known,

02:50make them known peacefully.

02:51It's one of the things that makes this country what it is and what it has been for almost

02:56250 years.

02:57So I would say to anyone that is burning an American flag while spray painting pro-Hamas

03:06graffiti in Washington to stop and think for a moment about what would happen if they

03:15were protesting Hamas' rule in Gaza.

03:17And it's not a question that you have to look very hard for an answer because we know, because

03:20we've seen in the past when people have protested in Hamas' rule in Gaza, we've seen how Hamas

03:25has responded.

03:27They responded with brutal crackdowns, with arrests, with violent repression.

03:31Fortunately, that is not who we are in this country.

03:33That is not who we are going to be in this country.

03:36We stand by, as I said, the right to protest, the right to dissent, and I know that the

03:41vast majority of people who were on the streets of Washington yesterday were patriotic Americans

03:47who were making their views known, even if they disagree with the choices that their

03:52elected officials make and the choices that we make, and we support their right to do

03:55so.

03:56But for those who were out yesterday showing support for Hamas, I would ask them to just

04:00think very hard about the choices they're making and who they are really supporting,

04:05because it is not peace, it's not democracy, and it is certainly not the values that we

04:09share as Americans.

State Dept Condemns Pro-Hamas Support, Says 'Majority' Of DC Protestors Were 'Patriotic Americans'

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