The hallways of the Longworth House Office Building that connects to the U.S. Capitol were thrown into chaos when Rep. George Santos, a Republican from New York, engaged in a profanity-laced tirade against an anti-Israel protester who confronted him. The incident occurred while Santos was holding a baby, adding to the intensity of the confrontation.
“The fact that we have terrorism sympathizers in this building is unacceptable. They should not be allowed in here. What is happening in Israel is abhorrent,” Santos passionately exclaimed as he stormed through the building’s hallways, trailed by a crowd of reporters seeking to understand what had transpired. “He’s an animal! He is a f—ing terrorist sympathizer.”
The protester was later apprehended by the U.S. Capitol Police. Santos continued to express his outrage, stating, “The gentleman back there is a terrorist sympathizer that has no business in this building. What is happening in Israel is abhorrent. What is happening to the people of Israel should not be defended. Nobody defending Hamas has any business in this building, whether you’re elected or a civilian. It is a disgrace that we allow people to parade that kind of thought in here.”
The protester, identified as Shabd Singh, a Jewish-American, spoke to the media after the incident. He explained that he had been following former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, through the hallways, questioning him about the alleged “war crimes” committed by the Israeli military in Gaza. Singh then encountered Santos and posed the same questions to him.
“He accused me of invading his personal space, so I took a step back. He was holding a child in his arms and claimed it was inappropriate for me to ask him questions in that scenario. I continued to ask him those questions, but he refused to respond,” Singh recounted. “He then found me in this hallway and confronted me, shouting at me and framing my statements as some sort of anti-Semitic trope.”
Capitol Police detained Singh following the incident. Santos chose not to disclose the identity of the baby for privacy reasons.
This article highlights a contentious exchange between Republican Congressman George Santos and an anti-Israel protester in the Longworth House Office Building. The incident, which involved Santos passionately expressing his views on the situation in Israel, attracted significant attention and resulted in the protester’s detainment by Capitol Police. The article aims to provide an objective account of the events while presenting the perspectives of both Santos and the protester.
