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Two protesters ran up on stage during a GOP event while Governor Ron DeSantis was speaking.
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The protesters shouted “Jews against DeSantis” before they were carried off stage.
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The governor brushed off the protests before continuing his speech.
A GOP fundraising event in New Hampshire was interrupted Friday evening after two protesters ran onto the stage and yelled “Jews against DeSantis” while Governor Ron DeSantis spoke at the podium.
The Amos Tuck Dinner, hosted by the New Hampshire Republican State Committee, featured DeSantis as the headline speaker.
The nonprofit behind the action, IfNotNow, said in a press release sent to Insider that the protest was meant to bring attention to the governor’s policies as well as his upcoming planned trip to Israel. The country is responsible for “increased violence towards Palestinians,” the group said.
IfNotNow describes itself as “a movement of American Jews organizing our community to end US support for Israel’s apartheid system.”
In a video posted to Twitter, two people with signs reading “Ron DeSantis: Loves Israel, Hates Jews” briefly make it on stage before immediately being grabbed by security and escorted away from the governor.
In the video, DeSantis can be seen brushing off the encounter and questioning why the protesters spent money on tickets for the event, which started at $150 per person.
“You’ve gotta have a little spice in the speech. You got to have a little fun,” DeSantis said, as the pair were directed away from the governor.
Jewish rights groups have long called out DeSantis for his failure to immediately condemn neo-Nazis who showed up at a 2022 rally, his promotion of antisemitic conspiracy theories about billionaire George Soros, and his association with politician Doug Mastriano.
DeSantis has also previously dubbed himself the most “pro-Israel governor in America.”
A representative for DeSantis and the New Hampshire Republican Party did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. A representative for IfNotNow did not immediately respond to questions sent by Insider. When reached by phone, the DoubleTree by Hilton in Manchester, where the event was hosted, declined to comment.
Read the original article on Business Insider
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