Kamala Harris shuts down pro-Palestine protestors at US rally, "I am speaking now"
Aug 08, 2024
Detroit [US], August 8 : US Vice President Kamala Harris shut down pro-Palestine protestors who interrupted her speech at a rally in Detroit.
Demonstrators in the crowd repeatedly shouted out, "Kamala, Kamala you can't hide, we won't vote for genocide," the US daily The Hill reported.
The crowd at the Detroit airplane hangar, however, booed and drowned out the protesters with chants of "Kamala," as per the American media outlet.
"I'm here because we believe in democracy. Everyone's voice matters, but I am speaking now. I am speaking now," Harris said. When the protestors did not relent, she said, "You know what, if you want Donald Trump to win then say that. Otherwise, I'm speaking."
Harris after a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel last month had stated that she would "always ensure that Israel is able to defend itself, including from Iran and Iran-backed militias, such as Hamas and Hezbollah."
"I've said it many times but it bears repeating, Israel has a right to defend itself, but how it does so matters," Harris said after the meeting with Netanyahu.
She also said that she is committed to "a path forward that can lead to a two-state solution."
According to an analysis by the Hill, Michigan is home to a particularly high Arab American population, especially in the Detroit suburbs. Some Democrats have worried that the Biden administration's handling of the war in Gaza could cost them votes in November.
Meanwhile, Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz traveled Wednesday to Wisconsin and Michigan.
At the Detroit rally, head of the United Auto Workers (UAW) Shawn Fain tore into former US President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and rallied support for Harris in front "of a crowd of thousands."
Union workers could play a key role in Michigan, the home of the US auto industry. Michigan broke from decades of steady Democratic support to elect Trump in 2016 before Biden flipped the state back in 2020.
