Protesters who hijacked President Joe Biden’s speech at a church where a white supremacist gunned down nine Black parishioners during their Bible study drew the ire of many people on social media.
Biden visited the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday to disavow the white supremacy and racism that is pervading the nation as he kicks off his re-election campaign.
The speech comes just days after Biden spoke to voters in Pennsylvania on the eve of the anniversary of the deadly U.S. Capitol insurrection to condemn the riot and Donald Trump’s actions during the attack.
His most recent stop at the historic Black church in South Carolina is part of his considerable efforts to attract and retain the support of Black voters nationwide.
The church where he delivered his remarks is the infamous site of a mass shooting on June 17, 2015, where Dylann Roof gunned down nine Black people during their Wednesday night Bible study. Roof is currently serving time on federal death row for their murders and awaiting word of his execution date.
A group of pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted Biden’s remarks to openly denounce the bloodshed in Palestine being carried out by Israel and equate it to the blood spilled on the church’s grounds.
“If you really care about the lives lost here, then you should honor the lives lost and call for a ceasefire in Palestine,” one female protester yelled out from among the church congregation.
The group that accompanied her also began chanting, “Ceasefire now!” before being escorted out of the building.
In response to their interruption, the crowd started chanting, “Four more years!” to support Biden’s efforts to secure another presidential term.
However, many people who viewed videos posted online after the speech found the brief demonstration insulting to the memory of the lives claimed during the 2015 church shooting and even criticized the behavior of Black people present at the speech.
“Screaming “free Palestine” at a Historic Black Church instead of Reparations is nasty work, and this is why we need to stay away from these plantations, I mean churches, and there were a bunch of scared kneegroes in the audience looking confused,” an X user posted. “This type of disrespect would never happen at a Synagogue or a Mosque. Black People still don’t get it.”
“She was out there screaming ‘free Palestine’ in a historic black church and all the black folks just watched,” another person commented.
Biden’s popularity among many Black voters is tanking after failing to make any noteworthy dents in police reform following the death of George Floyd or pass voting rights legislation and sweeping student loan forgiveness measures.
Polls report that Trump and Biden are basically neck-and-neck in terms of voter favorability. Results from a new Gallup poll revealed that Biden has 41 percent favorability among U.S. adults compared to Trump’s 42 percent. However, Biden’s support among young voters and voters of color is on a major decline.
In November, polls conducted by The New York Times and Siena College revealed 22 percent of Black voters in six of the most important battleground states said they would support Trump in 2024. About 71 percent said they would back Biden.
