Secretary of State John Kerry directly responded on Wednesday to protesters who interrupted his testimony to a Senate committee about the American-led military campaign against ISIS.
The secretary was giving opening remarks about the Obama administration’s request for congressional authorization for the campaign when a protester said: “The American people are speaking out, Mr. Secretary! We’re tired of an endless war!”
The protester was holding a sign that said, “Another Useless Military Fiasco,” a play on AUMF — authorization for use of military force. As the protester was led out of the hearing room, he shouted: “Creating more terrorism! Killing more innocent people!”
Kerry scoffed. “Killing more innocent people,” he said. “I wonder how our journalists who were beheaded, and the pilot who was fighting for freedom who was burned alive, what they would have to say to their efforts to protect innocent people.”
A protester later interrupted Kerry a second time to shout: “The United States is killing innocent civilians with drones!”
This story originally appeared on NBC News
Erin McClam