'Someone should shut her up': Internet divided as anti-Israel protesters interrupt Nancy Pelosi's Oxford University speech

OXFORD, UNITED KINGDOM: During her speech at the University of Oxford, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, (D-Calif), was interrupted by anti-Israel protesters on Thursday, April 25.

Protesters even went as far as labeling her a "warmonger." Just as Pelosi was about to start her speech at the Oxford Union, a student stood up, walked to the front of the room, and unfurled a Palestinian flag.

The student then turned to the audience, blocking their view of the 84-year-old California Democrat congresswoman, according to Fox News.

What prompted anti-Israel protesters to interrupt Nancy Pelosi’s speech at Oxford University?

Youth Demand, who acknowledged their part in the protest, shared a video of the purported incident and wrote on X, "Warmongers like Nancy Pelosi are not welcome on University campuses.”

Moreover, the group's protesters "aren't f***king around anymore," declared the tweet.

During Pelosi’s speech, the student and their colleague were immediately met with boos from the Oxford audience upon the realization that it was a protest.

In spite of the interruption, Pelosi maintained her composure and continued her address, issuing a call for peace in Gaza.

"The suffering of Gaza must stop," Pelosi said, according to the Telegraph. "We want peace on both sides. Both sides must agree to it."

As reported by The Telegraph, the pair of protesting individuals stood uncomfortably in front of the podium during the event but were subsequently removed from the premises by law enforcement.

"When children are being murdered, and hospitals are being bombed, we will not sit down and be quiet while these people are given platforms," Youth Demand wrote in their post.

Pelosi, a close ally of President Joe Biden, has spoken out about the growing humanitarian crisis in Palestine and the almost "unforgivable" impact on civilians caused by Israel's bombardment.

While she has criticized the Israeli government's actions, she has also acknowledged its right to self-defense.

She called on the demonstrators to reconsider their tactics and also condemn Hamas' actions on 7 October.

"We would like to see some of that enthusiasm recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization that did a barbaric thing in Israel," the Democratic lawmaker said.

Aside from her speech getting interrupted, recently, demonstrators dumped manure outside her home in California, according to BBC News.

"I've said to those [protesters]...do you care about what Hamas has done, do you care about what happened in Israel, would you not, if that happened here would we not have a response?"

On October 7th, a group of Hamas-led gunmen carried out an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, leading to the beginning of the war in Gaza.

The assault led to the loss of about 1,200 lives, predominantly civilians, and the abduction of 253 individuals, who were taken back to Gaza as hostages.

Since then, the Hamas-run health ministry has reported that at least 34,356 people have been killed in Gaza, with the majority of the casualties being children and women.

Internet reacts as Nancy Pelosi's speech is interrupted by anti-Israel protesters

One X user remarked, "she needs to retire like 40 years ago." [sic]

Another user said, "She is a warmonger. I laugh at the 'anti-Israel agitators' comment."

Another user wrote, "Good someone should shut her up!"

One user claimed, "Couldn’t happen to a nicer person."

Another X user quipped, "Looks like Nancy can't shut them down like her Twitter account comments."

Finally, this user tweeted, "They have allowed this war mongers creep into the country, if they don't handle this right it will become a cancer before they know it." [sic]

 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.