If you missed the Senate hearing on "The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence" chaired by Senator Ted Cruz, you missed Senator Cruz at his finest.
He was serious, he was sharp, he asked incisive questions, and he got under the skin of the Senate’s dumbest member, Democrat Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, to the point that she got up and walked out of the hearing.
Senator Cruz made a series of great points about the BLM and ANTIFA inspired violence going on in Democrat-run cities, and the failure of Democrats to criticize it, let alone stop it.
Senator Cruz teed-up his remarks by showing a video that we recommend sending around to your networks, especially to anyone who is inclined to not look past the slogan “Black Lives Matter” and to be sympathetic to the so-called “protestors” burning down Democrat-run cities.
Here’s a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSLgBRH_Cfo&feature=youtu.be
Here's a link to the Blaze TV coverage of the hearing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qOnL3oKe3A&feature=youtu.be
Sen. Cruz opened the hearing by making the points that:
What began as legitimate protests against a vile act of abuse sadly were soon hijacked by opportunists and violent radicals. [...]The fact is, the people who took to the streets because their hearts cried out for justice have become overshadowed by rioters and looters and those who cynically exploit the protests for their own evil ends. And those rioters aren't concerned about racial justice. Indeed, they're willing to make a mockery of the peaceful protest to advance their violent objectives. Their actions are profoundly racist, the rioters as they destroy minority communities, minority businesses, and minority lives across the country.
This shouldn't be complicated. Peaceful protests must be protected. Riots must be stopped. No one has the right to assault another person, to firebomb a building, to throw a Molotov cocktail into a police car. That's not exercising a constitutional right-that's terrorizing your fellow citizens.
More and more we're seeing signs that a significant portion of this violence, of this rioting, is not random. It is not spontaneous. Rather, it is coordinated and inspired by leftist, anarchist groups like antifa-groups that will, without shame, exploit a national tragedy to attack American buildings, American homes, and American lives.
This violence speaks for itself. But for good measure in graffiti on the county courthouse they wrote: ‘Until the police and ICE are abolished, we will burn this city down piece by piece.' They are telling is what their demands are. To shut down and abolish the police. This violence should be universally condemned.
All 100 senators ought to come together and say, ‘Don't murder your fellow citizens. Don't attack police officers. Protect each other's rights.'
Instead of seeing leaders united, we're seeing too many local officials, mayors and governors, who have made a cynical decision that it's in their partisan interest to turn a blind eye to this violence. To turn a blind eye to the law enforcement officers being attacked on a nightly basis. And even worse than that, to demonize the police officers. To throw out terms like ‘storm troopers' and ‘gestapo' to describe federal law enforcement officers doing their jobs.
In support of his resolution to designate ANTIFA as a domestic terrorist organization Senator Cruz has also released two other videos that tell the story of ANTIFA’s violence in graphic terms.
For the past several years Antifa has been on the streets, cloaked in black masks, and engaged in violent demonstrations in Portland, Oregon. Journalist Andy Ngo was hospitalized, others, including federal and local police officers, have been seriously injured after being attacked by members of the group. Over a year ago, on July 18, 2019, Senator Cruz and Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana introduced a resolution to designate ANTIFA as a terrorist organization.
So far, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to bring the resolution to the floor. We urge CHQ readers and friends to call Senator McConnell to demand that he bring the resolution to a vote and force the Democrats to tell America which side they are on – the side of law and order, or the side of violence, arson and terror. The tollfree Capitol Switchboard is (1-866-220-0044), call right now.
The full text of the resolution is below.
RESOLUTION:
Title: Calling for the designation of Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
Whereas members of Antifa, because they believe that free speech is equivalent to violence, have used threats of violence in the pursuit of suppressing opposing political ideologies;
Whereas Antifa represents opposition to the democratic ideals of peaceful assembly and free speech for all;
Whereas members of Antifa have physically assaulted journalists and other individuals during protests and riots in Berkeley, California;
Whereas in February of 2018, journalist Andy Ngo was intimidated and threatened with violence by protestors affiliated with Antifa;
Whereas on June 29, 2019, while covering demonstrations in Portland, Oregon, journalist Andy Ngo was physically attacked by protestors affiliated with Antifa;
Whereas employees of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (referred to in this preamble as "ICE") were subjected to doxxing and violent threats after their social media profiles, phone numbers, and home addresses were posted on the Internet by left wing activists;
Whereas according to the Wall Street Journal, an ICE officer was followed by left wing activists and "confronted when he went to pick up his daughter from summer camp", and another "had his name and photo plastered on flyers outside his home accusing him of being part of the ‘Gestapo'";
Whereas the ICE office in southwest Portland, Oregon, was shut down for days due to threats and occupation by Antifa members;
Whereas Rose City Antifa, an Antifa group founded in 2007 in Portland, Oregon, explicitly rejects the authority of law enforcement officers in the United States, and Federal, State, and local governments, to protect free speech and stop acts of violence;
Whereas Rose City Antifa rejects the civil treatment of individuals the group labels as fascists, stating: "We can't just argue against them; we have to prevent them from organizing by any means necessary."; and
Whereas there is no place for violence in the discourse between people in the United States, or in any civil society, because the United States is a place where there is a diversity of ideas and opinions: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate-
(1) calls for the groups and organizations across the country who act under the banner of Antifa to be designated as domestic terrorist organizations;
(2) unequivocally condemns the violent actions of Antifa groups as unacceptable acts for anyone in the United States;
(3) expresses the need for the peaceful communication of varied ideas in the United States;
(4) urges any group or organizations in the United States to voice its opinions without using violence or threatening the health, safety, or well-being of any other persons, groups, or law enforcement officers in the United States; and
(5) calls upon the Federal Government to redouble its efforts, using all available and appropriate tools, to combat the spread of all forms of domestic terrorism, including White supremacist terrorism.
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