Chaos descended on CNN's chief political correspondent Dana Bash's new book tour when anti-Israel protesters disrupted the event.
Bash was promoting her book, “America’s Deadliest Election: A Cautionary Tale of the Most Violent Election in U.S. History,” at an event hosted by Washington, D.C.-based independent bookstore Politics & Prose on Thursday night.
At least two protesters disrupted the event and confronted Bash in the audience seated in the bookstore.
A video of the incident shows a protester yelling at Bash, “You should be behind bars!” “You are complicit in genocide!”
“Every time she lies, a Gaza resident dies!” the protester shouted. “She's killing people! You know you're doing it! Look me in the eye! Look me in the eye!”
“You are not worth seeing [her] In the eyes,” one viewer responded.
The protester continued to scream at Bash and call him a “murderer” while two men in police uniforms escorted him out of the bookstore.
As the protester was being led away, a bystander yelled: “Take your mask off.”
Then another protester began a one-sided screaming.
“You’re taking millions of dollars and living in that house alone, that multimillion-dollar house,” the protester said. “You’re taking it to spread lies about the Palestinian people!”
Jewish CNN anchors — who have not spoken to protesters — have criticized destructive pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have taken place on college campuses across the country.
“Now, it's one thing to protest the way the Israeli government, the Israeli prime minister, is conducting a retaliatory war against Hamas,” Bash previously said during his “Inside Politics” program. “It's unacceptable to make Jewish students feel unsafe in their own schools. And that's happening too much right now.”
A CNN spokesperson called Bash “a highly respected veteran journalist” who has covered politics “objectively” for more than 30 years.
A CNN spokesperson said in a statement to the Post, “We firmly stand by him and his reporting, and while we respect the right to free expression, we will not be intimidated and will continue to cover all topics without fear or favour.”
Bash's book draws striking parallels between the 1872 election — when both major parties accused each other of corruption and racism and violence was rampant across the country — and today's tense political climate.
It is not uncommon for onlookers to call on protesters to remove their masks.
Long Island's Nassau County became the first in the state to do so. Controversial ban on face coverings Not wearing a mask in public is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $1,000. The ban exempts people who wear masks for health, safety, religious or cultural reasons.
The Republican-controlled county legislature passed the act in response to a rise in anti-Semitic incidents, which county lawmakers claimed were often committed by people wearing masks.
A New York-based disability advocacy group filed a lawsuit against the ban, arguing that it is unconstitutional and discriminates against people with disabilities.
,(A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed a statement from a viewer to Dana Bash. A CNN spokesperson said Bash did not interact with protesters and allowed them to protest peacefully.)
