Vice President Kamala Harris told a group of what were believed to be pro-Palestinian hecklers, “I’m speaking,” and flashed a steely-eyed glare at them Wednesday night in what was her first visit to Michigan as the Democratic nominee for president.
Harris is the first Black woman and South Asian American woman to win a major party’s nomination for president.
While it was not immediately known what the small group of protesters were chanting, a Free Press journalist covering the event said she believed it included the word “genocide” and was in reference to the ongoing Israeli counteroffensive in Gaza against Hamas, which has been underway since last October.
President Joe Biden’s administration has been criticized, especially among Michigan’s large Arab-American and Muslim communities, for not demanding Israel, a key ally, stop its counteroffensive in Gaza, often referring to it as “genocide.” Harris, who became the Democrats nominee following Biden’s taking himself out of the reelection race late last month, has said she has “serious concerns” about Israel’s stance and urged adoption of a ceasefire deal .