NASHUA, New Hampshire — Rep. Dean Phillips‘s (D-MN) get-out-the-vote rally in New Hampshire was interrupted Saturday by a protester who pressured the congressman to endorse a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
During the question-and-answer portion of the event, the protester began shouting over Phillips to get him to call for a ceasefire.
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“I hope you never see the videos of what they propagated that day in Israel,” Phillips said about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel that killed over 1,400 people.
“We have seen the videos,” the man interrupted Phillips.
“Let me answer the question, sir,” Phillips shot back.
The crowd shouted down the protester to be quiet.
“So here’s how I feel,” Phillips continued in his response. “I believe in the State of Israel and I believe it should be safe and secure and prosperous and should exist.”
Phillips also said Palestinians deserve to live in peace.
“Now, I also believe deeply in the Palestinian cause,” Phillips said. “I believe deeply that Palestinians should have self-determination. I believe deeply that there must be a State of Palestine created and (that) we recognize. I believe that they should live side by side in peace.”
Once the congressman finished his response on the topic, the protester asked for a follow-up question and then shouted at him.
The crowd again shouted at the man to “shut up!”
“Sir, I’m going to end this because you’re being unfair to people who are also here,” Phillips reprimanded him.
Campaign officials quickly escorted the man outside the Nashua Senior Activity Center when he refused to heed Phillips’s admonishments.
The event went on as intended once the protester was gone.
Phillips is running a long-shot Democratic primary campaign against President Joe Biden. In New Hampshire, Biden will not appear on the ballot due to a battle between the state laws and the Democratic National Committee.
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However, Phillips remains positive that he will finish well in Tuesday’s primary and continue challenging the president despite Biden’s incumbency and advantageous lead.
A group of Biden supporters have launched a campaign to convince New Hampshire Democrats to write in Biden’s name on the primary ballot Tuesday in hopes that he will win the contest and take steam out of the Democratic primary. Phillips called the efforts pathetic Saturday afternoon.