Kamala Harris Addresses Anti-Israel Hecklers in Michigan: ‘I’m Speaking Right Now’

Policy

By Joe Durbin

LANSING, Mich. — Kamala Harris had no patience with a screaming protester at a Democratic fundraiser in Detroit Saturday night, sternly telling him it was time for the vice president to speak.

The vice president began her speech at the Michigan Democratic Party Legacy Dinner, where tickets started at $200, by directly addressing the bloodshed in Gaza — in an effort to ease any tension.

It had the opposite effect.

As Harris spoke, there were many screams from the audience, with one woman repeatedly shouting, “This is genocide!”

Harris interrupted his speech to give the heckler a piece of his mind. “For the past eight months, President Biden and I have worked every day to end this conflict – I am speaking as we speak. “I appreciate and respect your voice, but I’m speaking right now,” she said as security dragged the woman from the room.

Harris, however, seemed to get the message.

“It’s time for this war to end,” she said into the microphone, adopting verbiage similar to what Biden has used more often in recent weeks.

Those words seemed to calm the crowd, and Harris was able to move forward with her speech, but the moment was an important test of instinct not only for the vice president but also for her boss.

Michigan’s Arab American population is large, particularly in and near Detroit.

More than 300,000 residents of Arab origin – including thousands from Gaza – call the state home.

The war between Israel, an ally of the United States, and the Hamas terrorist forces is not theoretical for them.

They are American citizens but have parents, friends and loved ones living on the front lines.

They are largely scared, angry, educated and motivated.

And they can vote.

Harris may well have finished his speech this weekend.

But while tensions remain extremely high as the war rages, the upcoming Biden-Harris event in Michigan may not be so easy to calm down.