Viral video of left-wing activists harassing moderate Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) inside a bathroom has sparked an intense backlash online, and people from both sides of the political aisle have denounced the display as creepy at best and illegal at worst.
On Sunday, a video surfaced showing activists with LUCHA Arizona confronting Sinema outside her classroom at Arizona State University (ASU), eventually following her into the restroom as they lamented her lack of support for President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” program. The heated moment continued for several minutes, even after Sinema ducked into a stall.
🔴BREAKING: Blanca, an AZ immigrant youth confronts @SenatorSinema inside her classroom, where she teaches @ ASU. "in 2010 both my grandparents got deported bc of SB1070…my grandfather passed away 2 wks ago & I wasn't able to go to Mexico bc there is no pathway to citizenship." pic.twitter.com/JDZYY2fOD2
— LUCHA Arizona (@LUCHA_AZ) October 3, 2021
While some left-leaning media figures were quick to defend the protesters, others were not so sure that harassing a female inside a bathroom was the best course of action.
Please don’t chase women into bathrooms. Just asking for a modicum of decency and the bare minimum of personal respect. https://t.co/pWAB3xbg3d
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) October 4, 2021
If you think this will be effective in moving Sinema, ask yourself when the last time was that you took unsolicited advice from a stranger in a bathroom. https://t.co/AthcIJNuqm
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) October 3, 2021
I don't care how much they suck as human beings. Following anyone into a bathroom and recording them is disgusting, intrusive, and creepy. Do not normalize this behavior. https://t.co/xdk9gHlhTV
— creep caroline, ghoul times never seemed so ghoul (@caro) October 3, 2021
Protesters followed Sinema into a bathroom to film themselves confronting her. This is over the line. Gross, unnecessary, and counterproductive. Get a grip. pic.twitter.com/2kMFLvSoQ5
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) October 3, 2021
Following people into a bathroom is unacceptable. Following people into a bathroom while recording video and audio is an invasion of privacy.
This isn't the way to change anything. https://t.co/5XrqSRE0jS— Michael Muscato (@michael_muscato) October 3, 2021
Far-left activists sided with the protesters, accusing Sinema of evading their questions after she betrayed their support. The left-leaning The Daily Beast even gave its article profiling the debacle the following headline: “Sinema Locks Door to Bathroom Stall as Protesters Demand Answers.”
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema locks herself in bathroom to avoid young activists on ASU campus https://t.co/kCHs3FsCGb
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) October 3, 2021
If you want an idea of how much Kyrsten Sinema has enraged her constituents, they heckled her at a class she teaches and when left to the bathroom they followed her in pic.twitter.com/rlZFqLybK8
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) October 3, 2021
If you don't want constituents to have to follow you into the bathroom, try holding town halls instead of rushing out of DC on a Friday afternoon for a donor event – and an anti-Biden agenda PAC sponsored donor event 2 nights before.
— Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) October 4, 2021
The bigger issue with the Sinema bathroom kerfuffle is that Sinema's constituents feel this is the only way to reach her. They're desperate. And this is what it looks like when you spend months avoiding more structured public availabilities.
— Max Burns (@themaxburns) October 3, 2021
Let's have some honesty and decency from you, Kyrsten Sinema!
— Andy Behrman (@electroboyusa) October 4, 2021
The AZ Dem Party executive board asked Sinema to hold three in-person town halls to help support statewide organizing efforts. She punted the question to staff without a commitment. If she doesn’t want to have public town halls, constituents must confront her everywhere. #AZSen https://t.co/bFTghWiGKT
— Brianna Westbrook (@BWestbrookAZ8) October 3, 2021
I feel for the people who canvassed for Sinema. What a brazen, unrepentant stab in the back, what a fraud.
— Alex Winter (@Winter) October 4, 2021
Conservatives from former Trump official Stephen Miller to DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw were unanimous in their defense of Sinema, with some even wondering if the self-professed illegal immigrant harassing the senator in the video should be deported:
Apparently LUCHA Arizona believes chasing Sen. Sinema into a restroom is such effective lobbying that they posted this video on their website. https://t.co/OPl8WN39EC
— Byron York (@ByronYork) October 3, 2021
The Senate parliamentarian — not Sinema — is the one who already nixed pathway to citizenship plan A and plan B in the reconciliation bill. Looks unlikely to happen in a plan C. Harassing activists should be talking about the filibuster in that case, not Build Back Better Act. https://t.co/d2Fs2zbh6p
— Emily Brooks (@emilybrooksnews) October 3, 2021
BREAKING: A crowd of insurrectionists just chased Senator Sinema into a bathroom at ASU screaming at her while she hid in a stall. No @CapitolPolice in sight for the female Senator.
— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) October 3, 2021
There are ways for her to do things the legal way, but instead she's screaming at a senator because she wants to jump the line other people are waiting and paying to be in.
No sympathy.
— Lauren Chen (@TheLaurenChen) October 4, 2021
Seriously, if an American went to any foreign country and tried something like this, they would be arrested and deported. And that would be fair.
— Christina Pushaw (@ChristinaPushaw) October 3, 2021
An illegal alien is stalking a US Senator to demand passage of Biden’s reconciliation bill b/c it includes mass amnesty for illegals. In a functioning democracy, ICE would swiftly deport this person, but under Biden’s new edict (as the lawbreaker knows) she’s immune from removal. https://t.co/Be5y4itSMn
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) October 3, 2021
Democrats are chasing their own senators into bathrooms now and lecturing them on politics. This is super weird whatever you think of Senator Sinema’s politics: pic.twitter.com/esAw8er0Aw
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 4, 2021
amnesty for illegals likely won't be in the budget reconciliation bill no matter what sinema does so not only was this gross but also pointless harassment https://t.co/hUMFoodx86
— Joe Gabriel Simonson (@SaysSimonson) October 3, 2021
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