Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was caught on camera, scolding pro-Palestinian protesters outside her house and telling them to ''go back to China'', alleging that was where their ''headquarters'' were located. The incident happened when pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside her residence, demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
A video of the incident that has gone viral shows Ms Pelosi surrounded by protesters as she tried to enter a parked vehicle to depart. As protesters continued to press the former House Speaker for an answer, she exclaimed, ''Go back to China, that's where your headquarters is.''
Watch the video here:
Previously, she faced criticism after suggesting some pro-Palestinian protesters are ''connected to Russia.''
''We have to think about what we're doing, and what we have to do is try to stop the suffering in Gaza … but for them to call for a ceasefire is Mr. Putin's message. Make no mistake, this is directly connected to what he would like to see,'' she said Sunday on CNN's 'State of the Union.'
''I think … some of these protesters are spontaneous and organic and sincere. Some, I think, are connected to Russia. And I say that having looked at this for a long time now, as you know,'' Ms Pelosi added, suggesting that the FBI should investigate the situation further.
Nihad Awad, head of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said the organization was ''deeply disturbed'' by Ms Pelosi's comments. ''Rep. Pelosi's claim that some of the Americans protesting for a Gaza ceasefire are working with Vladimir Putin sounds delusional and her call for the FBI to investigate those protesters without any evidence is downright authoritarian,'' CNN quoted Mr. Awad as saying.
The first woman to become speaker of the House of Representatives, second-in-line to the US presidency, Ms Pelosi stepped down from the post last November, saying she wanted to make way for a new generation. She now sits as an elected representative from California but retains considerable influence on Capitol Hill, where she has been since 1987.
Last year, Ms Pelosi said she would seek another term as a representative for California in Congress. Her announcement that she wants another four-year term is likely to deepen debate in the United States over the ageing of its political class.
