Brian McGinnis, an ex-Marine andGreen PartySenate candidate from North Carolina, was forcibly removed from a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
The hearing, focused on military readiness, was interrupted when McGinnis beganprotesting US and Israel's involvement in the conflict with Iran. McGinnis later claimed his arm was broken during the removal, while US Capitol Police alleged he resisted arrest and assaulted officers.
According to video footage provided to CBS News, McGinnis, dressed in a military uniform, shouted statements including 'America does not want to send its sons and daughters to war for Israel.' Capitol Police attempted to escort him from the hearing room, but McGinnis appeared to struggle with officers.
Senator Sheehy joined Capitol Police in lifting up and ejecting anti war protestor Brian McGinnis from a SASC subcommittee hearing. McGinnis is a Green Party candidate running for Senate in N.C. An antiwar activist filmed the video below:pic.twitter.com/0dVA0ORWXQ
At one point, near the doorway,Senator Tim Sheehyof Montana left the dais and assisted police officers in removing McGinnis. During the process, McGinnis' left hand reportedly became caught between the door and the frame. Video footage shows Sheehy trying to dislodge the hand, after which McGinnis stated his arm was injured. He was subsequently escorted out of the room and transported to George Washington University Hospital.
Three Capitol Police officers were treated for minor injuries during the incident.
Capitol Police released a statement saying McGinnis faces multiple charges, including three counts of assaulting a police officer, three counts of resisting arrest, and one count of crowding, obstructing, and incommoding, referring to blocking an entrance. The agency described the protester as 'putting everyone in a dangerous position by violently resisting and fighting our officers' attempts to remove him.'
Speaking to CBS News, Mark Elbourno, the Green Party official managing McGinnis' Senate campaign, defended his candidate, saying he 'wasn't assaulting anybody' and 'just wanted to be heard speaking loud and clear.' Elbourno stated he was unsure of McGinnis' current medical condition.
Senator Sheehy posted on Xthat he intervened because McGinnis was 'fighting back' against police and that he sought to 'help out and deescalate the situation.' He added that McGinnis came to the Capitol 'looking for a confrontation.'
McGinnis served in the United States Marine Corps and currently works as a firefighter in North Carolina. He is running as a Green Party candidate for the US Senate and has been outspoken on anti-war policies.
Source: International Business Times UK
