US SENATOR BERNIE Sanders was interrupted towards the end of an event in Trinity College last night by a protester who asked why he has not called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Sanders has supported a “humanitarian pause” but last November told CNN that he didn’t think “you can have a permanent ceasefire with an organisation like Hamas”.
Sanders has been critical of the actions of US president Joe Biden and this week voted against a funding package that included $14 billion (€13b) in new military assistance for Israel.
“I will be damned if I’m going to give another nickel to the Netanyahu government in order to continue this war against the Palestinian people,” said Sanders of the package which went on to be approved by the US Senate.
Despite this, protestors gathered outside the event last night and said Sanders “is not with the Palestinian people and does not stand for Palestinian solidarity”.
The around a dozen or so protestors also referenced an event earlier this week in UCD when Sanders said people should be “careful” when using the word genocide.
Small protest taking place outside an evening with US Senator Bernie Sanders at Trinity College. Doesn’t seem to be much support among those queuing up for the event. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/lvfPQir14R
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) February 16, 2024
Protestors also chanted “Bernie Sanders you can’t hide, you’re denying genocide”.
Sanders is in Ireland to promote his new book ‘It’s OK To Be Angry At Capitalism’ and had to postpone part of a tour in England to vote against the funding package for Israel.
Protesters who were outside could be heard at times from inside the Trinity hall when Sanders was speaking, though it was often difficult to make out what the protesters were saying.
During the event, Sanders said Biden is a “decent human being” and that he has worked with him on some “really good legislation”, which was a $1.9 trillion package during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, Sanders said he is “working hard to change Biden’s position on Israel”.
Sanders also cautioned that Biden will likely face Trump in the next US presidential election and said he will “do my best to defeat Trump, understanding that Biden has not done by any means what I would like to see him do”.
“In politics you sometimes can’t always get what you want,” said Sanders, “but you’ve got to do the best you can.”
At the conclusion of the event, a protester entered the hall and said: “Why won’t you call for a ceasefire?”
She referenced last year’s CNN in which Sanders questioned if a “permanent ceasefire” was possible “with an organisation like Hamas”.
A protester at the end of the event with Bernie Sanders in Trinity College calls for him to label what is happening in Gaza a “genocide”. He later said he has nightmares about what is happening in the region and disagrees with Biden’s stance on the ongoing conflict @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/Pbv3yxYo09
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) February 16, 2024
As security intervened, host and Irish Times journalist Fintan O’Toole said that the woman could “ask the question”.
However, when asked by O’Toole “to let the Senator answer the question”, the protester continued shouting.
Sanders then said he wasn’t going to answer the question because “I don’t like people disrupting me”.
Seconds later, Sanders said: “If a meeting is disrupted every day, what will you do? You won’t have a meeting.
“I’ve talked about my views on Gaza and I am doing everything I can to end a horrific and terrible war.
“My dream would be that the president finally wakes up to what I think the American people want and to say, ‘you know what Mr Netanyahu, you’re not going to get another nickel until you stop that damn war and treat the Palestinian people with the respect and dignity they deserve.
“I have nightmares about what is going on, it is a horror. Believe it or not, I’m trying to do my best to end that war.”
The protests continued afterwards, with around 20 people chanting “ceasefire now”.
Bit of an anti-climatic ending as Bernie Sanders leaves. About 20 guards faced off against around 20 protestors. Seconds after the video ended a guard said, “that’s us now, let’s head on” and both sides quickly dispersed. @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/JHsDGKDtdP
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) February 16, 2024
Meanwhile, Sanders told the event that he felt he would have won the 2016 election against Donald Trump and criticised Hillary Clinton for labelling some Trump supporters “deplorables”.
“You don’t win votes from people when you consider them to be deplorable, and that was not an accident, that is some of what the establishment considers a segment of the working class in America to be,” said Sanders.
He added that the “world was proud of the vote that Ireland cast” to repeal the Eighth Amendment in 2018 and that “this was seen all over the world”.
The Journal also submitted a question about the age profile of Joe Biden and Donald Trump, with recent polling showing most Americans feel both men are too old to be president.
When the 83-year-old Sanders was asked if he would have the energy for the office of US president, he said: “The answer is, there are some people who are 60 who are very old and can’t do much, and there are people who are 90 and writing great books and being very effective.
“It has everything to do with the individual. Age brings you experience and certain types of knowledge, but I think there is too much focus, especially in the United States, on age.
“I see a lot of right-wing Republicans saying ‘we need a new generation of leadership. We’re young and vigorous and we want to cut your health care, your social security, and have three simultaneous wars. But vote for us, we’re young and vigorous’.”
“You have to look at the totality of that person, what they believe in, how effective they are… age is one factor but it is by no means the only factor.”
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