Austin's 'no genocide' in Gaza remarks met with bloody-handed protests
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Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have stormed Capitol Hill and interrupted Lloyd Austin's speech, calling for the end of the genocide in Gaza.
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Handprints are seen on the wall of Union Station building as demonstrators protest during a pro-Palestinian rally asking for a ceasefire in Gaza, in Washington, Friday, November 17, 2023. (AP)
In a show of solidarity with Gaza, pro-Palestine protesters interrupted US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, cutting his speech off in a Senate committee hearing as he attempted to dismiss "Israel's" blatant violation of international law and genocide in Gaza.
Demonstrators took turns calling out "Israel's" military conduct in Gaza, the United States' backing of the genocide, and its determination to supply the occupation with military aid and weapons.
Video footage showed demonstrators with red-stained hands, relaying a message that the US has blood on its hands, with questions such as: "How many children have to die for you to be satisfied?" and slogans like: "Stop bombing Gaza, stop funding Israel" and "Stop the genocide in Gaza" raised before being forced out of the chamber.
Protesters also slammed the US policy of massively funding the Israeli "war machine" while public services such as healthcare and education remained neglected.
How many children must die for you to be satisfied? say pro-Palestine protesters interrupting Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in the senate pic.twitter.com/qQGgsh8NIR
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) April 10, 2024
Austin had a hearing session at a Senate Armed Services Committee to relay the latest developments in "Israel's" war against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Mid-protests, Arkansas Rep. Senator Tom Cotton asked Austin to address the demonstrators' remarks and if "Israel" was committing genocide in Gaza. In response, Austin said there were no indications of a genocide.
“So that’s a no? Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza?” Cotton emphasized, to which Austin replied, "We do not have evidence of that, to my knowledge."
Meanwhile, police arrested at least 50 peaceful protesters, including clergy members and several Christian factions, who blocked a cafeteria for senators, their aides, and visitors on Capitol Hill. They chanted: "The Senate and their staffers cannot eat until Gaza eats" before authorities shut it down.
Turning a blind eye to blinding evidence...
Last week, Senator Elizabeth Warren said "Israel" could be found guilty of genocide by international officials during an event at a mosque.
While taking questions from her audience at the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland, Warren was asked about the legal proceedings against "Israel" at the International Court of Justice and was specifically asked to share her own opinion, Politico reported.
The Massachusetts Democrat responded, saying, “If you want to do it as an application of law, I believe that they’ll find that it is genocide, and they have ample evidence to do so.”
It is worth noting that the toll of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 33,482 martyrs and 76,049 wounded since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza in the wake of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
The Palestinian Ministry reported that 122 people were killed and 56 others were wounded as a result of the occupation's aggression on Wednesday.
This comes as "Israel" and the US alike continue to claim to be protecting civilian lives in Gaza, as per the legal proceedings of the International Court of Justice amid South Africa's genocide lawsuit against the occupation.
