Hillary Clinton ‘war criminal’ faces public backlash in Berlin

Members of the audience called Hillary Clinton a ‘war criminal’ and a ‘hypocrite’ and condemned her complicity in Israel’s war on Gaza. During the World Forum event in Berlin on 19 February, organised by Cinema for Peace, where Clinton was invited to speak, protesters called out her hypocrisy in speaking about human rights while being supportive of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed over 29,000 civilians, including more than 12,000 children, since 7 October. When asked whether she was shocked about the high civilian death toll in Gaza, she responded saying, ‘Of course I'm not shocked because that's what happens in war.’

During an event in Berlin, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was called out for her position on the Israeli aggression on Gaza and her statement that she was “not shocked” by the number of casualties in Gaza.

A video circulated by activists on social media showed that Clinton was interrupted about seven times during her speech at a conference organised by Cinema for Peace in the German capital on Monday.

When asked “Are you not shocked by the high civilian casualty numbers in Gaza,” Clinton responded, “Of course, I’m not shocked because that is what happens in war.”

The former presidential candidate added, “but I’m disturbed by this high number, and Israel has the right to defend itself.”

During Clinton’s response, she was interrupted by an attendee who said: “Israel is not defending itself, it’s a genocide that you’re paying for. And then you talk about women’s rights? Are you serious? What women’s rights are you talking about?”

The solidarity activist continued: “Now you speaking of cinema for peace? We are watching a cinema of genocide. You are not a woman; you are not a human being! You should be ashamed of yourself. Free Palestine. You have blood on your hands!”

While the guards forced the activists out of the hall, others called out: “You have been responsible for the killings of hundreds of Pakistanis. You have supported wars in Afghanistan, in Iraq, all over the Middle East.”

“You are a war criminal. You are a hypocrite. Shame on you. Shame on all of you for supporting imperialism. Down with imperialism whether in the East or the West. Free Palestine.”

Despite the criticism directed at her, Clinton continued her speech by saying: “The attack on October 7th was a terrorist attack that caused the greatest loss of life of Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

However an activist rose up to say: “Hillary Clinton, how dare you speak about human rights, while Palestinians are being murdered in the name of protection of human rights? All you care about is white supremacy. Shame on you. Shame on you. Free Palestine.”

This is not the first time that Clinton has faced a backlash because of her position on the war on the Gaza Strip.

On 9 February, a student coalition at Columbia University accused her of justifying the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

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