The California Senate had to stop their session Friday evening after an anti-vaccine protester allegedly threw a red liquid from the upstairs gallery onto the legislative floor.
Some of the liquid landed on desks.The Senate chambers were closed for hours as the California Highway Patrol did its investigation. A woman was arrested.People who were inside the chambers when the red liquid was thrown from the upstairs gallery say the woman shouted something about dead babies before tossing the liquid onto the senate floor.One senator posted a picture on Twitter showing the liquid was thrown from a menstrual cup.
California CA State Senator Scott Wiener (of District 11 that includes San Francisco, Chair of the Housing Committee, and LGBT Legislative Caucus member) was upset by the intimidation.
A few minutes ago, the anti-vaxxer stalkers – who’ve engaged in a harassment campaign all week – dropped a red substance onto the Senate floor from the elevated public gallery, dousing several of my colleagues. The person who committed this assault screamed it was baby blood.These anti-vaxxers are engaging in criminal behavior. They’ve now repeatedly assaulted Senators & are engaging in harassing & intimidating behavior every single day, as we try to do the people’s work. They’re a cancer on the body politic & are attacking democracy.
I find Wiener’s dramatic response fascinating. For years, gay rights activists have staged dramatic and aggressive protests for new policies and laws (e.g., pushing Proposition 8 boycotts of supporters). Did he not realize that such tactics might eventually be used on actions he and his colleagues supported?
Also, menstrual blood is now part of accepted art forms. Weren’t the anti-vaccination demonstrators simply expressing themselves creatively?
The California Highway Patrol confirmed it was blood from a feminine Hygiene device.
Numerous lawmakers were hit by the red liquid, which was thrown from the upstairs balcony by protesters who were reportedly watching the floor debate at the time. They had objected to two pieces of legislation signed into law earlier in the week that would place strict regulations on medical exemptions for childhood vaccines.CHP officers evacuated the chamber and opened an investigation into the incident, which allegedly happened at 5:14 p.m. Officers rolled out crime scene tape around the area, and CHP announced it had detained the protester on six charges after she “threw a feminine hygiene device containing what appeared to be blood onto the Senate floor.”
The protests have been occurring outside the state Capitol since sweeping new restrictions on medical exemptions for vaccines were signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday. Despite the surge in the number of infectious disease outbreaks hitting the state, proposals are being put out to remove the new rules via a public vote.
Tara Thornton, Denise Aguilar and Heidi Munoz Gleisner filed referenda on Wednesday to overturn two laws signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday, statutes that will implement new restrictions on child medical exemptions for vaccines beginning Jan. 1.Filing a proposed statewide referendum with the state attorney general is the first step in the process of placing a measure on the ballot. To qualify for the 2020 ballot, each referendum will need 623,212 valid signatures from registered voters within 90 days of the laws being enacted.
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