A Mississippi congressman is being accused of assaulting a member of an anti-war group during a heated round of questioning at the U.S. Capitol.
Rep. Mike Ezell, a former sheriff and Republican representing the state’s fourth congressional district, was shown in a video slapping at the phone of CODEPINK member Sumer Mobarak as she and others berated him over the ongoing war in Gaza. The historically feminist activist group has been stationed in Washington, urging lawmakers to stop supporting Israel.
Today, former cop and sitting congressman Mike Ezell slapped our Palestinian American member Sumer asking him to stop the killing in Palestine.
In Gaza, as Israel occupation forces besiege, maim, and murder Palestinians en masse, they kill journalists and silence any dissent… pic.twitter.com/JDf6SyZTRB
— CODEPINK (@codepink) May 7, 2024
Mobarak, a Palestinian American, pressed charges against Ezell after the incident, according to a report from WJTV. When the local TV station reached out to U.S. Capitol Police, an official with the department said it could not comment on potential investigations.
When SuperTalk Mississippi News reached out to Ezell, the congressman issued the following statement:
“These China-backed protesters want to harass and intimidate members of Congress into ending our support for Israel and our opposition to Hamas terrorists. I will not be harassed or intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party, Hamas, or their supporters, and I will continue standing with our Israeli allies against terrorism.”
As apparent in his statement, Ezell links CODEPINK with the Chinese Communist Party – a sentiment expressed by many Republicans escalated by the publication of a New York Times story last fall about the group’s support of China’s repression of Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities, which includes the use of internment camps and forced sterilization.
Pro-Palestine protests have been flooding the country – especially on college campuses – as violent conflict between Israel and Hamas continues. As protesters call for President Joe Biden and Congress to change their approach to the war in Gaza, the U.S. has remained steadfast in its support of Israel with another round of aid being approved last month.
