In a shocking display of disrespect, a group of radical climate activists disrupted a meeting at Harvard University where Senator Joe Manchin, aged 76, was speaking.
The activists launched a barrage of insults and derogatory remarks at the Senator, accusing him of betraying their future for personal gain. Their language was crude and offensive, with one activist shouting, “Manchin sold our futures and got rich doing it, you sick f**k.”
Senator Manchin addressed an audience at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics about his decision not to seek re-election. His speech was interrupted by the protestors opposing his support for the Mountain Valley Pipeline project. This 300-mile project aims to transport natural gas from West Virginia to southern Virginia, cutting through the Appalachian Mountains, a national forest, and numerous stream crossings.
Last spring’s legislation approved this $6.6 billion project to raise the debt ceiling. It is widely believed that the White House made this concession in return for Manchin’s support.
The disruptive protestors are part of a group known as Climate Defiance. They describe themselves as a “youth-led group using direct action to resist fossil fuels.” The group took pride in their disrespectful behavior towards Senator Manchin on social media platforms on Friday. They posted: “We just called Joe Manchin a sick f**k. We humiliated him in front of a herd of Harvard elites. He squared up. We held firm. Barbaric murderer, hideous fiend, he torches humanity and laughs.”
However, their claim of holding firm seems questionable at best.
One protestor was on the receiving end when he confronted Senator Manchin directly.
JUST IN: Climate protester gets absolutely tossed after confronting Democrat Senator Joe Manchin.
The incident started when a climate activist called Manchin a “sick f**k” to his face.
The comment clearly seemed to irritate Manchin who quickly got up and confronted the… pic.twitter.com/Ex5n3VMoWH
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 2, 2024
The protestor was promptly ejected from the venue.
In response to the incident, a Harvard spokesperson told WHDH Boston: “A Harvard University police officer ordered the protesters to leave the Kennedy School campus, and the protesters complied… Harvard University Police Department and the Kennedy School are reviewing the incident.”