Gaza solidarity protesters disrupt Nancy Pelosi book talk: "Shame on you!"
San Jose, California - Protesters interrupted Nancy Pelosi during a Monday evening talk on her new book, The Art of Power: My Story as America's First Woman Speaker of the House, to demand she use her influence to stop Israel's attacks on Gaza.
"You've always had the power. You had the power to end inequality in San Francisco," a protester tells the congresswoman in a video shared by BreakThrough News.
"Look at everything that's happening. Do you see the same thing that I see on my phone every day? Children with limbs blown off, families destroyed, the mothers of Gaza. What do you have to say?"
"You've always had the power. You have the power to end this genocide. How many more people have to die?" the woman fires off as she is ejected from the room by security.
"Shame on you! Shame on the Democratic Party!"
The video shows Pelosi trying to continue the talk without addressing the interruption, recalling how she was seen as the "shy one" in her family before deciding to run for office.
Footage then shows another protester standing up to ask, "Nancy Pelosi, why did you silence that woman?"
People in the crowd tell him to "sit down," but he continues, saying: "You said you're against genocide and violence. Just like your book says, you're the most powerful woman in America. You can stop this genocide."
US government continues to arm Israel
Videos on social media also showed a gathering of protesters raising Palestinian flags outside San Jose's California Theatre before the start of the event.
The demonstrations are a sign of mounting public outrage over the US government's continued military and diplomatic support for Israel, including authorizing another transfer of more than $20 billion in arms and equipment earlier this month.
Israel has slaughtered over 40,000 people in Gaza since October, according to the besieged territory's health ministry. More than 650 Palestinians in the illegally occupied West Bank have died at the hands of Israeli military and settlers in that same period.
Cover photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP