U.S. Rep. Sean Casten shouted down at town hall, Pro-Palestinian protesters removed
Casten, a Democrat representing the 6th District, has been the target of groups protesting his support for Israel in the past year, particularly at suburban town halls in Downers Grove and Evergreen Park.
The Downers Grove-based congressman had barely begun his opening remarks Wednesday when a man got up and started yelling.
'That's what happens when you support a genocide Mr. Casten,' the man yelled. 'We're going to continue protesting you at every town hall.'
The protester specifically said a letter Casten signed that day along with more than 90 other House Democrats demanding an investigation into starvation reports in Gaza, was meaningless.
'The damage has already been done, the damage has already been done, and you voted to support it, day after day,' the man said.
When the protester wouldn't relent, police escorted him out of the room. Casten began talking about legislation coming from Washington, zeroing in on criticisms of the Trump administration's 'big beautiful bill,' only to have a woman stand up and start shouting at him.
Casten tried to continue, but with the woman shouting at him it was difficult to make out what either of them were saying, although at one point she shouted that Casten didn't care about Palestinians 'because they're not white … they're brown people halfway around the world.'
After the woman was removed, Casten again criticized President Trump's bill, calling it 'the biggest tax cut' for the rich, only to have another woman begin shouting.
When she was escorted out by police, another woman immediately began shouting that Casten had the 'largest Palestinian demographic in the country,' and she recalled meeting with his staff last year, telling them 'they were proudly funding the genocide, your staff laughed in our faces and kicked us out of their office. I will never forget what you did last year.'
The protesters were in no mood to hear anything Casten had to say, continually interrupting him at regular intervals.
'Shame on all of you. All of you have blood on your hands,' one woman yelled.
Casten, whose district stretches from west suburban Lombard southeast to Orland Park and Tinley Park, taking in Chicago's Beverly and Mount Greenwood neighborhoods, did begin to address the situation in Gaza, only to be interrupted again.
One man talked about the Israelis 'dropping 10,000-pound bombs on children,' calling them weapons of mass destruction.
'You can talk all you want about what you support, but the only thing you support is sending more money to the military, so that the military can keep bombing the heck' out of the Palestinians.
Casten again attempted to explain his position.
'I've spent quite a bit of time, I think probably more than most members, going to Israel and the West Bank,' he said. 'I have not gone to Gaza because of security reasons.'
When Casten tried to elaborate, he was shouted down once again, one woman shouting 'over 18,000 children have died, many found buried under the rubble.'
Noise from protesters outside Village Hall then grew in intensity, helped by speakers using amplification.
Casten said, regarding the hunger crisis in Gaza, that people tried to step in and deny humanitarian assistance. But protesters continued to yell.
'We aren't tired, we aren't stopping while Israeli bombs are dropping,' one group of female protesters chanted, linked arm-in-arm. 'Sean Casten, we will not be moving until you agree to sign the Block the Bombs Act,' a reference to the resolution introduced by progressive U.S. House members calling for ending U.S. military aid to Israel.
Casten only actually spoke for about 15 minutes of his scheduled time before finally ending the town hall.
La Grange Village President Mark Kuchler advised those still in the hall to wait until police could make sure it was safe before leaving.
'I thought our Police Department did a very good job of trying to maintain order in trying to let the congressman speak,' Kuchler said after the meeting.
La Grange Village Trustee Glenn Thompson said he was disappointed how the town hall turned out.
'I hate to see these things degrade into something like this,' he said. 'There's a lot of people here to ask local questions.'
Outside, about 50 people continued the protest in front of the Village Hall, many banging pots and pans and chanting 'free, free Palestine,' and 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.'
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