A town hall meeting hosted by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) in Cobb County, Georgia, was disrupted by a group of radicals on Tuesday.
The protesters, some of whom were vocal supporters of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran MS-13 member deported by the Trump administration on March 15, clashed with police officers and caused a significant disturbance.
However, the protesters' attempts to disrupt the meeting were unsuccessful. According to The Blaze, the radicals, including at least one from outside the district, were unable to intimidate Greene, who dismissed their protest and reiterated her support for the president. The police officers present at the event were quick to respond to the escalating violence, escorting the protesters outside or, in some instances, subduing them on the spot.
Video footage from the event shows one particularly aggressive protester grabbing a police officer by the collar amidst a crowd of journalists and cameramen. Additional officers can be seen rushing to assist their colleague, escorting the protester towards the exit. The same protester can be seen in another video, struggling against the officers until one of them orders, "Put your hands behind your back." Subsequently, an officer is seen deploying his taser against the protester.
In response to the tasing, Greene, still at the podium, can be heard saying, "There ya go!" as members of the audience cheered. Other protesters, who chose to leave without resorting to violence, were heard shouting, "Free Kilmar!" in reference to Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant who has been deemed a "danger to the community" by multiple immigration courts. Another protester was heard shouting, "Free Garcia."
Greene praised the police officers' conduct at the town hall meeting, stating, "For anyone questioning or criticizing the police at my townhall last night, the GREAT police officers conducted themselves in textbook fashion and protected every single person there by keeping the peace!" She further criticized the protesters for their aggressive behavior and expressed her support for better pay and pensions for police officers, adding, "Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God."
The Acworth Police Department, in a press release, revealed that they had anticipated potential disruptions at the town hall meeting after discovering online posts indicating that radicals had plans to disrupt the event. The department, which collaborated with the Cobb County Police Department, the Cobb County Sheriff's Office, the Kennesaw Police Department, and the Georgia State Patrol, stated that the protesters' intentions were to create a public safety threat and to put the police officers in a difficult position in front of the media.
The police department reported that six protesters were removed from the town hall without incident, while three others were arrested, two of whom were subdued with tasers. The arrested individuals were Andrew Russell Nelms, 40, of Atlanta and Johnny Keith, 45, of Dallas, both charged with simple battery on a law enforcement officer and obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and Kiyana Name Davis of Dallas, who was cited for vulgar language.
The police also reported that officers were threatened, physically resisted, and harmed during the process of removing the protesters from the event. Despite the disruption, Greene remained undeterred, stating, "I'm not intimidated by the Democrats who tried to shut down my town hall tonight. I refused to tolerate their selfish attempts to disrupt an event that was for all of my constituents, not just the ones who could make the most noise."
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