Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s opening statement before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was interrupted multiple times on Tuesday by pro-Palestinian protestors, one of whom was physically carried out of the room.

Blinken began in traditional fashion, saying, “Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. More importantly, thank you for the partnership that I think we’ve been able to manifest together to advance American leadership in the world. That is so essential for delivering on the priorities that matter to the people we represent. The need for us, global leadership and for cooperation with allies and partners has never been greater. The People’s Republic of China…”

His statement was then interrupted by a man shouting in the back of the room. “You will be remembered as the ‘Butcher of Gaza.” You will be remembered for murdering innocent Palestinians,” the man could be heard yelling as he was quickly shuffled out of the room.

Shortly after an older woman in a pink t-shirt began yelling and waving a sign and she too was removed from the room. Soon after a young woman holding up two signs that read war “war criminal” moved toward Blinken and was quickly lifted up by Capitol police and removed from the room.

Blinken’s statement covered the vast array of U.S. foreign policy around the world. He mentioned the Israel-Hamas war and said, “We’re standing with Israel in its efforts to ensure that what happened on October 7th never happens again. As we do everything we can to bring an end to the terrible human suffering in Gaza and prevent the conflict from spreading. U.S. leadership is needed to address humanitarian crises elsewhere around the world, including in Sudan and Haiti.”

Largely unphased, Blinken concluded by making the pitch for the administration’s budget proposal for the upcoming year:

So I urge you to support this budget, which helps us address the most pressing foreign policy priorities in the coming year and lays the foundation for strong leadership in the years ahead. In conclusion, I’d like to thank this committee for your recent confirmations of ambassadors and other senior officials. Any undue delays in such confirmations undermine our national security and weaken our ability to deliver for the American people. I’m grateful for the partnership of this committee and for your time. I look forward to answering any questions.

Watch the clip above via C-SPAN.

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