US senator to Arab American advocate: ‘You should hide your head in a bag’
Al Jazeera
During US hate crimes hearing, prominent activist faces aggressive questions about Hamas and student protests for Gaza.
Washington, DC – A US senator has launched ad hominem attacks against a prominent Arab American community advocate during a congressional hearing into hate crimes in the United States, which have surged in the shadow of Israel’s war on Gaza.
The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday aimed to address the rise of hate crimes in the country.
But several Republicans dedicated their time to bashing college students who have protested for Palestinian rights amid the Gaza war, and many took aim at the event’s sole Arab American witness – Maya Berry, executive director of the Arab American Institute.
“You support Hamas, do you not?” Louisiana Republican John Kennedy asked Berry.
She unambiguously said “no” as she tried to refocus the conversation on the domestic issue of hate crimes, rather than foreign policy.
