Things went left just minutes after President Donald Trump started his State of The Union (SOTU) Address when Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green was escorted out for protesting with a sign reading, “Black People Aren’t Apes.”
The senior member of Congress and avid anti-Trump critic has made it known on several occasions how he feels about the antics from the Trump Administration given this is the second time Green was escorted out of one of Trump’s U.S. Capitol speeches.
Green told CNN that he wanted the President to see the signage, reminding him that the video featuring imagery of the Obama family as apes is racist.
“I wanted the president to see it, and he saw it, and I told him, Black people are not apes, and for him to do what he did was racist, and he knows it. But sometimes we have to let him know in public that we know it,” the 78-year-old said.
Prior to Trump’s lengthy speech, in which he told false narratives about inflation going down and painted a fairytale image of the United States “winning” at all ends, some members of the Democratic Party announced they wouldn’t be attending.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said it’s almost a common practice.
“There was an
understanding that members are either going to plan to attend and those who are not going to attend are going to boycott the event and express their opposition to Donald Trump and a variety of the other different things that will be taking place,” Jeffries said.Green said the opposition to racism is one that someone has to stand up for. When asked about worrying about the consequences, he said they don’t exist to him. “The consequences were of no consequence to me. You have to take a stand. In a sense that I would allow the consequences to prevent me from doing what I believe is a righteous thing to do,” Green said.
“Dr. King did not allow the consequences to prevent him from going to Birmingham, and he went to jail. Rosa Parks did not allow the consequences to prevent her from taking a seat on the bus. That’s where we are now. We are back to a point where people have to take a stand.”
While other leaders were seen physically trying to rip the sign out of Green’s hands, people on social media are applauding his protest, some even calling fellow Democrats cowards for allowing him to be escorted out alone.
Others are comparing him to the late great Rep. John Lewis, known for walking in Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and saying, “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
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