Pro-Gaza Protesters Disrupt Town Hall of St. Louis Congressman Wesley Bell
"We need to return every single hostage and Hamas has to go," he stated
Rep. Wesley Bell’s first town hall since being elected to Congress was quickly overtaken by anti-Israel protesters Tuesday night, but the Missouri Democrat stood firm in defending Israel, condemning Hamas, and highlighting local issues.
The event, held at the former St. Louis Post-Dispatch building, was punctuated by chants of “Wesley Bell loves killing children” and “Wesley Bell loves bombs and rockets.” Video of the event showed Bell supporters growing increasingly frustrated as mostly white protesters shouted over the discussion, shouting down Bell as a “war criminal.”
“Stop talking. This is not your town hall. You can leave,” Bell told hecklers after repeated interruptions. Later, he reminded the audience: “The number one killer of kids in St. Louis between ages one and 17 is gun violence, and there’s people who want to talk about that too.”
“I’m a Missouri congressman, and the ‘M’ does not stand for Middle East,” he said.
Bell, who defeated outspoken anti-Israel politician Rep. Cori Bush in last year’s Democratic primary, has faced accusations from Bush’s backers that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee bought his congressional seat – claims that echo antisemitic Jewish power conspiracies.
His victory came after Bush denounced Israel even in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, massacre, during which terrorists murdered some 1,200 people in Israel and dragged 251 hostages into Gaza.
Asked about Gaza, Bell spoke of Palestinians suffering amid the Israel-Hamas war, but rejected the protesters’ charge that Israel is committing genocide.
“When it comes to the word genocide, I kind of disagree with you,” said Bell, who visited Israel earlier this month as part of a congressional delegation. “Because Israel was attacked by an openly genocidal terrorist group. Hamas said openly that they want to destroy Israel. So if you’re accusing somebody of genocide, you’re standing with an organization that says they want to commit genocide. You don’t see that?”
“October 7 was not just a terror attack, October 7 was an invasion,” Bell said, drawing loud boos.
He emphasized that peace required addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza while eliminating Hamas: “We need to see a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza, we need to see an end to the war. We need to see every single hostage returned, and we need to see a viable future for Gaza without Hamas.”
Moderators and security struggled throughout the night to restore order. At one point, to break up the shouting, the national anthem was sung. At another, a woman in the audience could be heard shouting back at protesters: “Shut up with your White privilege… you want to stand here and diminish the work he’s doing.”
As the event wound down, tensions boiled over again. Security officers scuffled with demonstrators as people were ushered out.
Despite the chaos, Bell appeared undeterred. “Democracy is messy and we have to passionately defend it,” he later wrote on X. “At the end of the day we’re going to continue to fight for the St. Louis region and for our country.”
–By Kevin Deutsch | Special to Metro Voice
