Kill them all, US Congressman Andy Ogles tells activist when asked about Gaza
US Republican Representative Andy Ogles has received widespread backlash for comments he made regarding the Palestinian people. The moment in question, which took place on Thursday 15 February 2024, involved the Congressman and a pro-Palestinian activist in Washington DC.
According to Al Jazeera, a video began circulating that showed Ogles walking through the Capitol and being questioned by the unnamed activist. In the clip, you can hear her say to him: “I’ve seen the footage of shredded children’s bodies. That’s my taxpayer dollars that are going to bomb those kids.”
In response, Ogles bluntly said: “You know what? So, I think we should kill ’em all if that makes you feel better.” The Tennessee politician went on to add: “Hamas and the Palestinians have been attacking Israel for 20 years. It’s time to pay the piper.”
The activist can then be heard stating: “There are starving women and children, how is that going after Hamas? They killed over 300 healthcare workers.” Following this, Ogles takes one last look at the camera and says: “Death to Hamas.”
While the incident took place a week ago, the video was published just hours after President Joe Biden’s administration vetoed a ceasefire resolution at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday 20 February, representing the third time that the US has voted against a suspension of hostilities in Gaza since 7 October 2023.
Washington has stated that a ceasefire resolution would potentially jeopardise talks to officially end the war, however, this move has been heavily criticised by US allies, as reported by the BBC.
Almost immediately after the video was posted to X (formerly Twitter), a number of organisations and politicians came out denouncing Ogles’ comments. For example, the American Muslim Advisory Council (AMAC) released a statement “unequivocally” denouncing Ogles and declaring that his remarks were tantamount to advocating for “the extermination of the Palestinian people.”
Netizens have also condemned the remarks and have called for Ogles to be ousted from Congress:
Ogles’s spokesperson, Emma Settle, has since stated: “The Congressman was not referring to Palestinians, he was clearly referring to the Hamas terrorist group.”
Zulfat Suara, a Nashville Metro Council member, Democrat, and first Muslim person elected to the metropolitan government of Nashville and Davidson County, told the local newspaper The Tennessean: “In the conflict overseas, I have been very mindful of what I say and how I say it because I want to make sure that my Jewish friends are not hurt in what I say and to make sure that my Palestinian families are taken care of. But when legislators at the federal level and the state level continue to demonise people and continue to only look at one side and not the other, that’s the result that we see on the streets. And I hope that we will continue to do better. This otherization, this demonization, this ‘Kill them all’ is only breaking us apart.”
