Protesters call Blinken ‘secretary of genocide’ during Atlantic Council address
Pro-Palestinian protester is removed from the room as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the Atlantic Council in Washington, U.S. on Jan. 14, 2025. (AFP Photo)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was protested during his address at an Atlantic Council event on the Middle East on Tuesday. A woman in the audience, showing solidarity with Gaza, called Blinken “Bloody Blinken, Secretary of Genocide,” and shouted, “We will not forgive you.”
The protest took place as Blinken discussed U.S. foreign policy, with his four-year term set to end next week.
“Secretary of genocide, you have the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent people on your hands,” the protester yelled before being escorted out. “Your legacy will be genocide. You will forever be known as Bloody Blinken, secretary of genocide. You have the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent people on your hands! We will not forget, shame on you,” she continued.
Blinken briefly responded, saying, “I respect your views. Please allow me to share mine. Thank you.”
He faced two more protests, with another demonstrator calling him a “monster” and a “war criminal.”
The Biden administration has faced mounting criticism for its support of Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of around 46,000 Palestinians since October 2023.
