WASHINGTON: A viral video of the arrest of US lawmakers Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez along with other Democratic members of Congress showing that they were handcuffed during an abortion rights protest in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, has sparked a debate.
This issue came to the limelight after media reports said Congress members were indeed arrested but not handcuffed. With wide media coverage, the act was called a media stunt bringing criticism and amusement, Fox News reported.
Several critics took to Twitter to mock her for seemingly playing up the drama of her encounter with law enforcement. “Her pretending to be handcuffed is just spectacular,” National Review’s Charles CW Cooke tweeted. “Is…is she pretending to be handcuffed?” the National Journalism Center’s Becket Adams reacted.
“This is too much,” GOP flack Matt Whitlock wrote. “So @AOC is a criminal insurrectionist who should be banned from federal office?” Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton joked. US police arrested over a dozen Democratic members of Congress, including lawmaker Ilhan Omar during an abortion rights protest in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday (local time).
A video clip shared by Omar’s official Twitter handle showed the lawmaker pretending to be handcuffed as they were escorted away from the Supreme Court by police.
“Today I was arrested while participating in a civil disobedience action with my fellow Members of Congress outside the Supreme Court. I will continue to do everything in my power to raise the alarm about the assault on our reproductive rights!” Ilhan Omar tweeted.
The US Capitol Police said that they arrested 35 people including 17 members of Congress. “Demonstrators are starting to block First Street, NE. It is against the law to block traffic, so officers are going to give our standard three warnings before they start making arrests,” the police tweeted.
“We made a total of 35 arrests for Crowding, Obstructing or Incommoding (DC Code SS 22-1307). That arrest number includes 17 Members of Congress,” the tweet added.
Apart from Omar, the detainee, as per CNN include — Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Barbara Lee of California, Jackie Speier of California, Sara Jacobs of California, Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, Andy Levin of Michigan, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, Madeline Dean of Pennsylvania, Cori Bush of Missouri, Carolyn Maloney of New York, Nydia Velazquez of New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Alma Adams of North Caroliimage.
Abortion rights supporters and those opposed to abortion rights have been demonstrating near the Supreme Court since the court’s decision to strike down abortion protections under Roe nearly a month ago, as per reports.
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the US abolished abortion rights while overturning the constitutional right granted to women in a historical 1973 ruling called Roe vs Wade. Through this, abortion was legalized across the states.
The Supreme Court has struck down Roe vs Wade, eliminating the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion, and ruled that states may regulate the practice of it. (ANI)
Also Read: Roe vs Wade: Overturning of 50-year-old abortion law creates uproar in United States
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