Vice President Kamala Harris’ Jan. 29 reproductive rights event with actress Sophia Bush in San Jose, CA, was disrupted by protesters demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.
Protesters waved Palestinian flags and chanted , “We want a ceasefire now!” , during Harris’ appearance at the Mexican Heritage Plaza and faced repeated interruptions while she was speaking, according to Daily Mail .
“We all want this conflict to end as soon as possible,” Harris said, trying to talk over the protesters. The news outlet noted supporters in the crowd chanted “Four more years!” to drown out the disruptions. Security eventually removed the protesters.
“There are a lot of big issues impacting our world right now,” Harris acknowledged. “The topic for today is what has happened in our country after the Dobbs decision, which took away the right to make personal healthcare decisions. We should not be distracted from this important issue.”
But protest organizers tied reproductive freedom to the plight of women in Gaza. Daily Mail reported Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Center for American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) San Francisco Bay Area chapter, said to a local news station that “the call for ceasefire is a call for reproductive freedom.” CAIR was a key group behind the rally.