Pro-Palestinian Activists Hijack Democrats’ Town Hall Meeting [WATCH]

A Missouri Democrat’s town hall event spiraled into chaos Tuesday night, as pro-Palestinian demonstrators repeatedly disrupted Rep. Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) and clashed with fellow attendees.

Bell, who unseated progressive Rep. Cori Bush in last year’s Democratic primary, began the event by addressing his views on Israel and Hamas but was quickly met with constant interruptions.

Within 20 minutes of his opening remarks, the forum descended into heated exchanges.

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“Stop talking. This is not your town hall. You can leave,” Bell told protesters at one point.

Soon after, he urged the audience to consider the broader challenges facing the country.

“While we’re sitting here being divided and fighting one another, we’ve got other folks out there who are taking our democracy from us.”

The congressman’s remarks on Hamas sparked some of the loudest reactions from the crowd.

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When he stated that Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel “was not just a terror attack, October 7 was an invasion,” the audience responded with boos and jeers.

Later, when Bell suggested the need to “surge aid” to Gaza, demonstrators again shouted over him.

“You disagree with that?” he asked the crowd, drawing another round of protests.

As the disruptions continued, activists shouted accusations, calling Bell a “war criminal” and alleging that his stance amounted to support for genocide.

Tensions escalated further when Bell pushed back on a participant who labeled Israel’s military response a genocide.

“You don’t get to set the genocide definition,” one activist shouted.

Bell replied, “No, I don’t… and here’s the thing, people can disagree, that’s what makes our country great.”

He added, “When it comes to the word genocide, I kind of disagree with you… because Israel was attacked by an openly genocidal terrorist group.”

“Hamas said openly that they want to destroy Israel… and so you’re accusing somebody of genocide, you’re standing with an organization that says they want to commit genocide. You don’t see that?” he continued, as boos grew louder.

Despite the disruptions, Bell maintained that a balanced approach was needed.

“We need to see a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza, we need to see an end to the war. We need to see every single hostage returned, and we need to see a viable future for Gaza without Hamas.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupt @WesleyBell4MO Town Hall Tuesday night. “I’m a #Missouri Congressman and the ‘M’ doesn’t not stand for #MiddleEast,” Bell told the vocal crowd as demonstrators repeatedly yelled out during the 1.5 hour discussion. #WesleyBell #STL @ksdknews pic.twitter.com/wiK8MjVphA

— Brent Solomon (@solomonreports) August 20, 2025

While much of the event was dominated by pro-Palestinian demonstrators, many attendees expressed support for Bell, particularly when he shifted the discussion to local issues.

“The number one killer of kids in St. Louis between [ages] 1 and 17 is gun violence, and there’s people who want to talk about that too,” Bell said, drawing applause from the audience.

At one point, a woman in the crowd confronted the protesters directly. “Shut up with your White privilege,” she shouted.

“You’ve never been hungry, you’ve never had a child be hungry, and yet you want to stand here and diminish the work he’s doing?”

It was not clear whether the activists responded.

The moderator also attempted to calm the situation, calling for security to remove one disruptive attendee just minutes into the event.

She urged the crowd to let the discussion continue. “Let’s do this the Democratic way, the democracy way. You can’t hear anyone yelling. I hear you. As a mixed-race person, I hear you,” she said.

“We can’t get through this if you are yelling and barking and acting like you want to get physical.”

Despite the confrontations, Bell later released a statement expressing gratitude for the turnout.

“I want to thank everyone that came out to our town hall this evening – yes the conversations were passionate at times, but Democracy is messy and we have to passionately defend it,” he wrote on X.

“At the end of the day we’re going to continue to fight for the St. Louis region and for our country.’

I want to thank every one that came out to our town hall this evening — yes the conversations were passionate at times, but Democracy is messy and we have to passionately defend it. At the end of the day we’re going to continue to fight for the ST. LOUIS region and for our…

— Congressman Wesley Bell (@RepWesleyBellMO) August 20, 2025