Anti-Israel protesters interrupted former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert during a discussion about the hostage situation between Israel and Hamas.
Pelosi appeared on the show Tuesday night to promote her new book, The Art of Power, where she recounted watching President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inauguration speech. In the speech, Kennedy urged nations to consider what they can do to achieve the “freedom of mankind,” a sentiment Pelosi argued President Joe Biden has tried to achieve with countries like Israel.
“And right now, we just got word earlier today that Israel had agreed to the ceasefire agreement. We’re hoping that Hamas will, too,” Pelosi said. “But it takes me to the point of saying to you: War has no role in a civilized society.”
While Pelosi’s remark on war drew applause from the audience, protesters began shouting once the applause subsided, with the broadcast cutting audio at certain moments. Colbert acknowledged that Pelosi’s comment was “unsatisfying” to those opposing Israel, offering her a chance to respond while asking the protesters to allow Pelosi to finish her remarks.
The protesters shouted again toward the end of Pelosi’s discussion, prompting Colbert to say, “Please don’t interrupt my guest.” He also mentioned that a protester had previously interrupted the show before cutting to a commercial break.
As of Wednesday afternoon, neither Pelosi nor Colbert had addressed the interruptions on social media.
The conflict in Gaza is anticipated to be a significant issue for both political parties in the upcoming elections, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) declaring during his Democratic National Convention speech that “we must end this horrific war in Gaza.” Sanders has previously suggested that the Gaza conflict could become Biden’s Vietnam.
Throughout the week, the DNC, held in Chicago, has dealt with anti-Israel protesters. Multiple protesters were arrested on Monday after straying from a city-approved parade route and breaking down the first layer of security fencing, though the city has denied that an “operational failure” allowed these protesters to breach DNC security.
