The Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, was interrupted this Tuesday during a speech at the Atlantic Council think tank by activists with cries of “genocidal” for his position on the Gaza war.
The head of American diplomacy, who has less than a week left in office, was speaking in the downtown auditorium in Washington when a woman in the audience intervened, calling him “secretary of genocide.” “You have the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent people on your hands,” he added. Blinken responded that he respected her opinions, before the woman was removed from the scene by security personnel. Minutes later, while the secretary continued with his speech, another person interrupted him again, accusing him of being a “war criminal” and of having “no compassion.” The Secretary of State remained silent while that person was removed from the auditorium.
Blinken offered a speech to vindicate the Middle East policy of the Administration of US President Joe Biden, who will pass the baton to Donald Trump on January 20. And his intervention comes as negotiators finalize a ceasefire for Gaza, 15 months after the start of the Israeli offensive in the Strip, which has killed more than 46,000 people.
It is not the first time that speeches by Blinken or President Joe Biden have been interrupted by pro-Palestinian activists in protest of support for Israel and the veto with which the United States has blocked ceasefire resolutions in the United Nations Security Council.
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