Sen. Cotton Faces Backlash Over Post Seen to Encourage Violence Against Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Protesters

Sen. Tom Cotton encouraged people stuck behind Israel-Hamas ceasefire protesters to "take matters into your own hands", appearing to promote violence.

Protesters blocked major roads and bridges across the U.S. in support of Palestinians, causing traffic issues. Cotton falsely called them "pro-Hamas".

Cotton edited his post minutes later to clarify people should get protesters "out of the way", but still faced backlash.

His remarks were compared to his 2020 New York Times op-ed advocating military force against U.S. protesters.

In 2020 Cotton also called for charges against "mob vigilantes" toppling Confederate statues during racial justice protests.