Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) appeared to wave an Israeli flag at protestors demanding a cease-fire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

“Jackass @JohnFetterman saw veterans getting arrested and laughed,” the veterans against war group About Face posted Thursday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, alongside a video of what appeared to be the Pennsylvania senator walking by a group of protestors and waving an Israeli flag.

“We asked to see @SenGillibrand. We were put in cuffs. We need leaders who listen to veterans demanding a #CeaseFireNow,” the post continued.

The group was arrested for protesting in New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D) office in the Capitol.

Fetterman has consistently been a defender of Israel during its conflict with Hamas. He called out some of his Democratic colleagues’ speed to blame Israel for a hospital blast last month.

“It’s truly disturbing that Members of Congress rushed to blame Israel for the hospital tragedy in Gaza,” Fetterman said in a post on X.

“Who would take the word of a group that just massacred innocent Israeli civilians over our key ally?” he added.

On Wednesday, Fetterman posted a video of what he said were “the posters of the innocent Israelis kidnapped by Hamas” displayed in his front office.

“They will stay up until every single person is safely returned home,” he said in his post.

Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel early last month that began the current conflict and left more than 1,400 Israelis dead. It also took about 240 hostages.

Israeli forces started a ground operation into Gaza late last month, even amid warnings that the operation could worsen an already dire humanitarian situation in the territory. More than 10,000 Palestinians have died since the start of the war at the beginning of last month, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

  • culpritus [any]
    ·
    1 year ago

    “the posters of the innocent Israelis kidnapped by Hamas” displayed in his front office. “They will stay up until every single person is safely returned home,”

    INDISCRIMINATE KILLINGS OF GAZANS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL EVERY SINGLE PERSON IS SAFELY RETURNED HOME

    us-foreign-policy is such an aptly named emoji.

    • happybadger [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      1 year ago

      Bombing of hostages will continue until hostages are saved.

      • culpritus [any]
        ·
        1 year ago

        meme'd it before seeing your reply

        https://hexbear.net/post/1058485

    • janny [they/them]
      ·
      1 year ago

      I'm pretty sure this sort of framing of the conflict is designed for it to become Israel's version of the forever MIA/POW myth. Israel can pretend that Hamas is lying when it only returns the majority of the POWs because the rest got bombed/starved to death and can use it to justify forever war against palestine even more

        • Frank [he/him, he/him]
          ·
          1 year ago

          AFAIK it's a law that federal buildings have to fly the POW/MIA flag. TrueAnon has a whole episode about the whole bullshit grift. It's a good example of how fucking stupid America is.

    • edge [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      I wonder if he takes down the ones killed by Israeli bombs.

    • CthulhusIntern [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      Well, hasn't Israel already killed some of the hostages? So... it will never stop.

    • Frank [he/him, he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      Would be kind of funny to sneak in and post 11,000 or 12,000 pictures of dead Gazans. jokerfication

  • CrushKillDestroySwag
    ·
    1 year ago

    Man Fetterman really turned out to be a "monkey's paw" candidate huh

    • Maoo [none/use name]
      ·
      1 year ago

      He was always to the right of Bernie he just acquired the false consciousness aesthetics of the American working class.

      • CrushKillDestroySwag
        ·
        1 year ago

        Best thing I can say about him is that Dr Oz would probably be just as bad.

        • oregoncom [he/him]
          ·
          1 year ago

          Dr. Oz is muslim and Turkish so maybe that would have compelled him to be more pro-Palestine, or at the least less rabidly pro-Israel.

      • timicin@lemmygrad.ml
        ·
        1 year ago

        It's the hoody and the shorts; he's still clueless otherwise and will fight to defend that cluelessness

  • happybadger [he/him]
    hexagon
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    https://www.newsweek.com/john-fetterman-tells-protester-he-cant-understand-him-i-had-stroke-1841276

    A protester interrupted Fetterman during a campaign appearance with Sara Innamorato, a candidate to become the next Allegheny County's executive, reported Pittsburgh-based television news station WPXI.

    "Four dead children in Palestine. 9K plus dead civilians. Get off the stage," the protester, who was escorted out of the event by security, said. "You have blood on your hands. Get off the stage."

    Fetterman responded to the protester by saying he did not fully understand what he was saying due to auditory processing issues caused by a stroke last year.

    "The joke is on you. I had a stroke. I can't fully understand what you're saying," he said.

    edit: Also, imagine the terrible response Dr. Oz would have had if he won instead. He'd have probably walked by ceasefire protestors being arrested while waving an Israeli flag. He wouldn't listen to his constituents and would dismiss their concerns about a genocide. Thank god the democrats demanded we vote blue no matter who.

    • WhyEssEff [she/her]
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      "The joke is on you. I had a stroke. I can't fully understand what you're saying," he said.

      You clearly fucking get the essence of it if you included that fucking smarmy quip at the start of that sentence you smuglord-ass motherfucker

    • Frank [he/him, he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      Wasn't expecting to pull out the crabs for this guy, but a crab rave is a crab rave.

  • footfaults
    ·
    edit-2
    1 month ago

    deleted by creator

  • InevitableSwing [none/use name]
    ·
    1 year ago

    I wrote this yesterday and I shared it in the megathread.

    ---

    Music much like this - https://youtu.be/TdNU59UluwY?t=328 - is playing but at a lower more dignified tempo. 0.75 speed is pretty good.

    Adam Curtis says "Here we see pro-Palestinian protestors being arrested near the Capitol Building in Washington DC. In the background - in casual clothes - is the physically imposing silhouette of John Fetterman - a Senator from the State of Pennsylvania. He is carrying a flag. But it is not the American flag. It is the Flag of Israel..." He pauses for a while so the viewer can take it all in. "Now we must go back to 1948 and the nakba."

    "The Nakba is from Arabic. It literally means "the catastrophe". It was the violent displacement and dispossession of Palestinians, and the destruction of their society, culture, identity, political rights, and national aspirations..."

    I stole the second bit from Wikipedia. Oddly - it already worked perfectly for his style and voice.

  • Awoo [she/her]
    ·
    1 year ago

    Show

    In bad country the media is hidden from everyone else in the world.

  • Cherufe [he/him]
    ·
    1 year ago

    Heartbreaking the largest son you know just made a terrible point

      • AnarchoAnarchist [none/use name]
        ·
        1 year ago

        I don't bodyshame people.

        That fucking flesh golem isn't a person, they are a bunch of political action committees in basketball shorts.

        • Frank [he/him, he/him]
          ·
          1 year ago

          nah we've been over this a billion times. Body shaming doesn't become okay because the target is a fascist asshole. You're still yelling that your fat comrades are bad and should be ashamed of their bodies. Knock it off.

          • frogbellyratbone_ [e/em/eir, any]
            ·
            1 year ago

            i had this whole thing written out about what if what if what if and then just deleted it because you're absolutely correct

            • Frank [he/him, he/him]
              ·
              1 year ago

              meow-hug

              I'm still real bad about using psychiatric terms (crazy, psycho). I really need to dig in to shakespeare and world literature for better insults.

    • happybadger [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      1 year ago

      I keep going back and forth on it. On one hand, I don't think the senate deserves the respect of wearing a suit. On the other, other politicians seized on it to do that Kamala Harris thing where she conversewashes her personality to seem human. I don't want them looking casual or being comfortable either. And it shows how little he gives a shit about anything. Social fascists gave us a husk that exists to provide more brown skulls for the skull throne.

      • AnarchoAnarchist [none/use name]
        ·
        1 year ago

        If it's politics were good, he could walk around naked for all I care.

        I supported him looking like a schmuck before he took the mask off. Now, it's something easy to bully him on. I don't actually care about the suit, I care about making him a feel bad, and perpetuating a culture that makes him feel bad.

        He's untouchable, but hopefully if he realizes that everyone hates him and thinks he looks like Shrek, he'll take care of the problem himself (by quitting, obv).

      • Frank [he/him, he/him]
        ·
        1 year ago

        I don't care what senators wear. The senator is a cult of murderers and monsters.

        • happybadger [he/him]
          hexagon
          ·
          1 year ago

          Don't get me wrong, the only thing they should be allowed to wear is something uncomfortable with their home address printed on it, but it's a question of whether I hate the senate or the senators more.

    • edge [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      Nah, I'm disappointed he gave in to senate rules and started wearing a suit there.