Protests calling for Gaza cease-fire escalate in CT. Lawmaker calls for arrests.

In response to the rising death toll in the war between Israel and Hamas, pro-Palestinian supporters have been holding protests around Connecticut to gain the attention of top elected officials as they push for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

Protesters have interrupted appearances by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Gov. Ned Lamont, and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz as she was conducting the swearing-in ceremony for West Hartford’s town clerk. The surprise demonstrations have occurred in multiple towns at public events as protesters gather and often sit among the crowd.

Demonstrators even locked arms around the Christmas tree at the governor’s mansion during the annual public open house in early December, and were escorted out of the building without any arrests.

While the funding of the overseas war is under the purview of federal officials, the groups have still targeted state and local officials who do not have the power to enact a cease-fire.

But the confrontation escalated recently when Lamont was suddenly interrupted as he was delivering the keynote address to about 250 people at the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce legislative breakfast at Southern Connecticut State University.

“We are appalled that you are not calling for a ceasefire!” a woman shouted as Lamont was talking about Tweed New Haven Airport. The woman, who identified herself as a student, began a chant with seven other protesters of “Cease-fire now! Cease-fire now!”

The students chanted, “Ned Lamont, you can’t hide, you are causing genocide!”

After order was restored and the protesters had departed the room, Lamont returned to the podium.

“Nobody’s going to listen to them unless they lead off with the fact that they acknowledge and condemn the brutal and sadistic genocidal attack on Oct. 7th, and what that did to all those young innocents there, as well,” Lamont told the crowd. “Nobody is going to listen to them unless they acknowledge that.”

But House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford and other legislators said they were stunned by what they saw as they were sitting in the audience.

“I don’t think it helps people’s cause to behave the way people behaved,” Candelora told the Courant in an interview. “It’s one thing to exercise free speech. It’s another thing to disrupt and intimidate and to threaten people. Quite frankly, I think the state, as a whole, should be arresting some of these people for the conduct they’re engaging in. The incident I was involved in at Southern went well beyond just a protest. … Bringing outsiders onto a campus to engage in a protest is a safety concern. I was actually concerned for the governor’s safety, and I think it should have been shut down a lot quicker than it was.”

Lamont remained alone at the podium during the exchange and tried to engage with the students and other demonstrators, but they did not participate in a dialogue.

The protesters, Candelora said, should have been arrested for disorderly conduct or breach of peace.

“At Dartmouth, the students were arrested for protesting on the president’s lawn,” Candelora said, referring to misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass for two undergraduate students. “I think that we need to start taking a look at that. Free speech is obviously a constitutional right, but there needs to be boundaries and continuing to allow people to misbehave and break the law is indicative of the culture that Connecticut has embraced that we really need to reject.”

After receiving a stinging letter from Candelora and four other Republicans, the interim president at Southern, Dwayne Smith, responded that only two of the protesters were Southern students and the entire group was escorted out within five minutes.

Smith responded that he was “taken aback” by the protesters and added that he understands that the incident “was unnerving to some attendees.” But he noted that the group dispersed when asked to leave by university police.

“I have received comments and correspondence from attendees who noted how well our officers handled a delicate situation, escorting the individuals from the room and subsequently out of the building without any physicality,” Smith wrote. “This will certainly not be the last such protest on college campuses or elsewhere in Connecticut. Given this reality, Southern will continue to evaluate and improve our security measures.”

But Candelora was not convinced, saying he will not return to the campus for any major events.

“I just don’t think the institutions are taking this stuff seriously enough,” said Candelora, who had been sitting at the same table with Lamont before the governor’s speech. “There should be consequences. I wouldn’t want my kids at a school that allows for that type of behavior. The way they behaved is not the way that I would expect students to behave on a college campus when you have a sitting governor trying to address an audience.”

Multiple events

One of the earlier protests came during a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy in early December at a private home in upscale Avon.

A crowd gathered outside the home where Murphy was attending a political fundraiser, and he eventually walked past them as he was leaving from the event. The crowd waved Palestinian flags and signs saying “Blood on Chris Murphy’s hands” and “genocide,” and chanted “cease-fire now” and “end the occupation.”

The event was organized by CT Democratic Socialists of America and a loose coalition of college students and citizens called Shut It Down CT. A statement from Shut It Down CT said the group demanded Murphy join calls for “a permanent ceasefire, an end to military aid to Israel, and an end to the siege on Gaza and the occupation of Palestinian land.”

The Avon police arrived, and the protesters remained nonviolent. Murphy came out of the home and was confronted by protesters, who continued to chant, “Murphy, Murphy, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide.”

On numerous national television appearances, Murphy has raised issues on both sides, saying that Israel has the right to defend itself but also that its military strikes that have killed thousands of civilians in the narrow Gaza Strip are not proportionate. Murphy’s views carry additional weight as he is a leading voice on overseas issues due to his role as chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and counterterrorism.

“I do believe that the level of civilian harm inside Gaza has been unacceptable and is unsustainable,” Murphy said on CNN. “I think there’s both a moral cost to this — many civilians, innocent civilians, children often losing their lives, but I think there’s a strategic cost. Ultimately, Hamas will get stronger, not weaker in the long run, if all of this civilian death allows them to recruit more effectively and ably inside Gaza.”

Asa Needle, who attended the Avon protest and said he was not speaking on behalf of any group, predicted that the demonstrations will continue as long as the conflict lasts.

“This one with Murphy was part of a larger series of actions that people have done as individuals,” Needle said in an interview. “There was no group that was sponsoring this protest. People who were there that day are also participating in the statewide Palestine solidarity coalition, which includes many organizations. These are organizations that are linked by their shared solidarity with the Palestinian struggle … that are brought together by this issue.”

Even though state and local level officials do not vote on funding for Israel, demonstrators still want to get their attention.

“Every politician’s voice counts,” Needle said. “We call on all politicians to make statements. … I’ll speak for myself, but I think that the citizens of Connecticut have a crucial role to play. I think that our voice matters. In continuing to escalate our actions, we are making a statement.”

Blumenthal

Like Murphy, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal has been outspoken about the Israel-Hamas war. During a press conference outside the state Capitol in Hartford in late October, Blumenthal was heckled by a man in a tie who attended a press conference.

“Sen. Blumenthal, you offered unshakable and unwavering support to Israel while it conducts a genocidal campaign in Gaza, killing thousands of children, journalists, and civilians while the people of Gaza starve. Shame on you, saying you would stand against hate,” he shouted at Blumenthal. “You are worse than a hypocrite. You’re an accomplice to genocide of the Palestinian people. Stop funding genocide.”

“I’m happy to talk to you afterward,” Blumenthal responded from the podium. “You know, it’s a free country fortunately.”

In similar fashion, Blumenthal was shown on video at the Capitol complex in Washington, D.C. in recent days as he was questioned by an activist for Code Pink, the well-known peace group, on why he was not calling for a ceasefire.

“I’m very much hoping that we will have an end to the conflict, lower intensity right away, more humanitarian aid, and the two-state solution,” Blumenthal said.

Christmas tree

In another incident, protesters entered the governor’s mansion in Hartford during the annual event that allows the general public to see the Christmas trees and decorations as they tour the residence.

Lamont, who often spends weekends at his Greenwich home, was not present when the incident occurred. The protesters departed the residence, and the tree was not damaged.

“In this religious season, the holiest of holies in all the faiths, show respect,” Lamont said. “Look, people have the right to protest. This is America. … And locking your arms around the Christmas tree, I don’t think is an appropriate way to make your case.”

The earlier protests included demonstrations in November at Colt Manufacturing and Electric Boat, two weapons makers who have been sending arms to Israel.

As the war continues in the Middle East and the Connecticut legislative session starts on Feb. 7, Candelora said he hopes that any protests are peaceful in Hartford.

“We have to take these things very seriously,” Candelora said. “When we go into session, I’m not sure what the spring will look like. … I’ve always felt safe at the Capitol, even when we’ve had some pretty dicey interactions and situations. The state Capitol police do a phenomenal job of controlling crowds and de-escalating bad behavior, and that is what I think our college campuses need to focus on.”

Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com