Video: After "Secretary Of Genocide", Blinken Called "Criminal", Reporter Dragged Out

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken isn't having the best final days in office, with the last 48 hours being particularly unforgiving for the top diplomat, who is facing heat over the controversial decisions taken by him during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Far from the farewell he probably hoped for, Antony Blinken's last press conference as US Secretary of State turned out to be a nightmarish experience as he found himself on the receiving end of a verbal lashing by two journalists covering the Gaza war.

Chaos ensued as independent journalist Sam Husseini confronted Mr Blinken while he was defending the Biden administration's decisions and policies during the 15-month war in Gaza. "Everyone from Amnesty International to the ICJ (International Court of Justice) is saying Israel is doing genocide and extermination, and you're telling me to respect the process?" Mr Husseini questioned assertively.

Moments later, while he was sitting quiet after the verbal confrontation, security personnel showed up at the journalist's desk and started to forcefully lift him up.

Reporter @samhusseini was just physically dragged from Blinken's briefing. "Why aren't you at The Hague?" he asked. pic.twitter.com/Nvs10aFjgh

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) January 16, 2025

"Get your hands off me", he said repeatedly, as security lifted him off his feet. "I am just asking questions...You are hurting me...Is this what you call free press?", he said loudly, as they started carrying him through the row of seats. "Stop manhandling me," urged the journalist, but it fell to deaf ears. The security, now covering the aisle all the way to the door, dragged him out as others watched in shock and dismay - some recording the video of the incident on their phones. Just before being physically thrown out of the room, the journalist shouted at Mr Blinken, in anguish, saying, "Criminal! Why aren't you at The Hague!?" referring to the International Criminal Court which had sentenced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of 'war crimes' in November last year.

An uncomfortable silence engulfed the conference room. Mr Blinken, calm and unmoved by what just happened, continued his defense of the United States' policies in Gaza. He defended the US' support to Israel's Netanyahu, though, he stressed, "with differences on many counts".

Just as he was about to move on to the next question, another journalist - Max Blumenthal, news editor of Grayzone, interrupted him in a harsh, accusatory tone. "Why did you keep the bombs flowing when we had a deal in May?" he yelled, immediately following it up with a series of questions accusing Mr Blinken of being a "Zionist".

"Why did you sacrifice the rules-based order on the mantle of your commitment to Zionism? Why did you allow my friends to be massacred? Why did you let their homes be destroyed?" he shouted and heckled as State Department officials closed in on him, showing him the door. The journalist, who was already recording the incident on his phone, complied and started walking towards the door, but kept firing more questions - some personal, involving Mr Blinken's family members.

My final words for Tony Blinken, Secretary of Genocide, and his smirking press secretary, Matt Miller pic.twitter.com/DuLnepSwDl

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) January 16, 2025

"Your father-in-law was an Israeli lobbyist, your grandfather was an Israeli lobbyist - Are you compromised by Israel? Why did you allow the holocaust of our times to happen? How does it feel to have your legacy being genocide?" he shouted, even targeting press secretary Matt Miller, saying "You too, Matt, you smirked through the whole thing, everyday. You smirked through a genocide."

HECKLED BY A PROTESTER

Just a day earlier, at a farewell address to the American public, Secretary Blinken got heckled by a pro-Palestine protester. Blaming him for the "genocide in Gaza", the woman protester yelled, "You will forever be known as Bloody Blinken, Secretary of Genocide! The blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, of children, is on your hands. We will not forgive, we will not forget, we will forever hold you accountable!"

The video, which went viral on social media, shows Mr Blinken remaining calm through the insulting rant. He is seen requesting the angry protester to allow him to share his views, telling her that he respects hers. But as she continued shouting, security stepped in, removing her from the venue. He then continued with his speech.

JUST IN: 🇺🇸 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gets heckled and yelled at by protestors.

"You will forever be known as Bloody Blinken, secretary of genocide."

"We will never forget" - Yells a lady who is definitely not an dead Arab. pic.twitter.com/yrCg9C9Obd

— Dr Tariq Tramboo (@tariqtramboo) January 14, 2025

Both these occasions - the farewell speech and the last press conference - came at a time when a ceasefire deal was announced between Israel and Hamas, ending the 15-month war, which has left the Palestinian territory of Gaza utterly devastated.

The war, which began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than 1,200 Israeli civilians and taking around 250 hostages, has left more than 46,000 Palestinians dead and over 2.3 million others homeless and displaced in Gaza.

While Hamas's "terrorist attack" has been condemned worldwide, Israel's vastly disproportionate military response has been widely called a "genocide" by many. Israel has rejected these accusations. The International Criminal Court has even sentenced Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for "war crimes" and has demanded his arrest. US and Israel have rejected the court order, with the Israeli prime minister justifying his actions in the war, calling it "defending the Jewish motherland".