Protestors heckled 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton while she gave a speech Friday at Columbia University.
Clinton gave a speech at the university to address conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), which the former first lady says is used as a weapon of war and a terrorism tactic. Protestors interrupted her multiple times, calling her a “war criminal” before and during her remarks, video posted on social media showed.
“Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton,” one protester yelled.
“That’s my name. That’s right,” Clinton responded with a smile.
“You’re a war criminal. The people of Libya, the people of Iraq, the people of Syria, the people of Yemen, the people of Palestine,” the protester shouted, “the people of America, will never forgive you!”
Hillary Clinton has just been interrupted by three different protesters at Columbia University!
“You will burn” says one of the students pic.twitter.com/P1sLS1lCKc
— Jose Vega — Vote Vega & Sare! (@JosBtrigga) February 9, 2024
One woman walked on stage behind Clinton and asked the disruptor to “leave right now.” The protester ignored demands to leave the venue as he continued to shout.
“I’m asking you to leave,” the woman told the protester. “The delegates will now escort you out of the building.”
“You will burn!” the protester yelled at Clinton as she stared him down.
Clinton finally began her remarks to the audience, stating that “yelling doesn’t solve the problem” as the protester chanted “Free Palestine!” The former secretary of state became agitated and raised her voice as the heckling restarted. (RELATED: ‘Stop Petro Pete!’: Buttigieg Chased Off Stage By Chanting Climate Protesters)
“Okay, alright. We’re gonna stop. We’re gonna stop a minute and, I don’t. You know what? Why don’t all of you just interrupt me so that you won’t be introduced, interrupting our panelists?” Clinton said. “So that we don’t have this kind of disruption when we have people who are real experts in this area.”
“People are free to protest, but they are not free to disrupt events or classes,” Clinton told the audience.
Clinton became a professor of practice at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and presidential fellow at Columbia World Projects (CWP) in Jan. 2023, according to an announcement on the university’s website.