Boebert complains about 'very disrespectful' protesters who chanted 'Beetlejuice' at her

02 May 2024

When Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) joined Reps. James Comer (R-Kentucky), Byron Donalds (R-Florida) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) on a visit to George Washington University, campus protesters had a unique chant especially for her.

The Daily Beast recently reported that Boebert's visit to the campus — where students have set up an encampment to demand their school divest its endowment from corporations with business ties to Israel — prompted protesters to chant "Beetlejuice" at her. The chant is a reference to a 2023 incident in which the Colorado congresswoman was kicked out of a Denver theater for vaping and openly groping her date during a performance of Beetlejuice: The Musical.

"It’s time that Mayor [Muriel] Bowser gets aggressive in keeping safety here on this campus and the surrounding perimeter," Boebert said, adding that the protesters were being "very disrespectful."

At one point, Boebert unsuccessfully tried to remove a Palestinian flag that had been draped over a statue of George Washington, saying, "This is America, and that s— needs to come down." In response to a photo of Boebert trying and failing to remove the flag, one social media user remarked that she "has no right to touch that person's flag," and that her campus visit was "the closest [Boebert] will ever get to a university." Boebert dropped out of high school, but completed her GED in 2020 just prior to running for Congress.

Seemingly in response to protesters heckling her, Boebert — who brought a bullhorn with her — yelled at the crowd of students, who had signs bearing messages like "gays for Gaza" and "queer and trans folks for a liberated Palestine."

"Not only is this disgusting but let me be clear: Almost every single person in this so-called ‘liberated zone’ would be eviscerated by the very terrorists you are standing here supporting," Boebert said.

Comer, who is chairman of the House Oversight Committee, announced during the visit that his committee would hold hearings on the pro-Palestine protests on college campuses, and specifically mentioned George Washington University's protest encampment as a key focal point for his committee. Boebert piled on, and notably issued a veiled threat to defund the campus over the demonstrations.

"If the faculty here, who, many are involved in this right now—I had people proudly saying that they are faculty—and not wanting to remove a Palestinian sign from the George Washington statue,” Boebert said. “If they don’t want to do something to address this? Well, then kiss your federal funding goodbye.”

George Washington University's Palestinian solidarity protest encampment is one of nearly 100 across the United States and around the globe, according to Al Jazeera's count. Approximately 1,300 students, faculty and others have been arrested in the nationwide crackdown on the largely nonviolent protest movement. In addition to demanding their schools divest from pro-Israel companies, students are demanding the United States stop funding Israel's military, which Gaza's health ministry says has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians — including more than 14,000 children.

Israel began its campaign in Gaza in response to radical Islamic terrorist group Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, which killed roughly 1,200 Israelis, most of whom were civilians. Hamas also took hundreds of hostages. While some have been released following negotiations, at least 34 of the remaining 129 have been killed. Both U.S. and Israeli authorities fear many of the remaining hostages have been killed as the war drags on into its seventh month.

Click here to read the Daily Beast's report in full.

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