(Photo from Congressman Mike Ezell on X)
- A recorded confrontation between the 4th District Mississippi Congressman and Code Pink activists ended in Ezell appearing to swat away a protester’s camera.
Two pro-Palestinian activists from Code Pink followed Congressman Mike Ezell (R-MS 4) through the halls of Congress recently, pressing him on video to denounce support for Israel and support Hamas’ call for a ceasefire.
Ezell largely ignored the protesters’ provocations until one said, “You want this genocide to continue? You want the killing of my people, my Palestinian people?”
A visibly agitated Ezell turned and told the woman to “shut up” and “back it off,” before reaching for her camera. The video appears to show Ezell knocking the camera down or out of the woman’s hand.
Later in the same video, Ezell, the former Sheriff of Jackson County and a 40-year law enforcement veteran, is shown sitting in a committee room where a voice is heard telling the Congressman, “You are disgusting, racist. How shameful of you that you even work in this administration and you put your hands on a person. Shame on you, shame on you. You are the violent one, not the people who are protesting peacefully. You are the violent one.” Ezell is not shown responding.
The woman who recorded the incident later indicated that she filed a complaint with the U.S. Capitol Police against Congressman Ezell.
Code Pink is no stranger to forced confrontations on Capitol Hill. The organization was started in 2002 to protest the U.S. invasion of Iraq and became known for aggressive tactics. It actively opposes U.S. sanctions on Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba, and its current initiatives include supporting Palestinians in the conflict with Israel and a public relations campaign called “China is Not Our Enemy.”
Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began, Code Pink members have been a fixture in the Capitol recording confrontations with lawmakers who support Israel.
When reached for comment late Tuesday afternoon, Ezell’s office sent the following statement from the Congressman:
“These China-backed protesters want to harass and intimidate Members of Congress into ending our support for Israel and our opposition to Hamas terrorists. I will not be harassed or intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party, Hamas, or their supporters, and I will continue standing with our Israeli allies against terrorism.”
Ezell’s statement hearkens back to a letter addressed to Jodie Evans, President and Co-Founder of Code Pink, from the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources in November 2023. That letter referenced an allegation that Code Pink “is purportedly funded by Neville Roy Singham, a self-proclaimed socialist and current ‘benefactor of far-left causes,’ who is now based in Shanghai, China.” Singham is married to Evans.
“As you are aware, in 2017, you married Mr. Singham. As a self-proclaimed socialist and revolutionary, continuing to serve as President of the board of Code Pink, you have gone on the record refusing to criticize any policy of the CCP,” the House Committee letter outlines. “Nonprofit records show that, since 2017, ‘about a quarter of Code Pink’s donations—more than $1.4 million—have come from two groups linked to Mr. Singham.’ The New York Times extensively detailed how, over a similar time period, your personal opinions and Code Pink’s position on China have both shifted to more closely align with the CCP’s agenda, alarming various left-wing and progressive organizations sympathetic with other goals of Code Pink.”
In its “Justice for Palestine” section, Code Pink’s website says, “Israel’s occupation and annexation of Palestine isn’t just cruel and inhumane, it’s illegal under international law.” The group has also backed the anti-Israel college protests and promoted the campus unrest urging the protestors to “get back up and keep going.”
Code Pink has described the U.S. as “a decadent, declining empire stumbling blindly into its agonizing death spiral.” Following the October 7th terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel, the group blamed “Israeli Apartheid” for Hamas’s violence and spoke against U.S. support for Israel. “Palestinians are confronting the world with their truth, and it is one that should be supported and respected,” Code Pink stated.
No additional information regarding Code Pink’s complaint against Ezell is available at this time.
The freshman Congressman is seeking his second term this year, having won the Republican Primary in March. Ezell won the seat following a primary runoff two years ago with then-Congressman Steven Palazzo.
Ezell is being challenged by Democratic nominee Craig Elliot Raybon in November. Raybon was unopposed in the Democratic Party Primary.
