Katherine Clark leaves Democratic candidates’ event after confrontation over military aid to Israel

A visit from House Minority Whip Katherine Clark to Stonehurst on Sunday was cut short after tense interactions with attendees protesting her position on U.S. military aid to Israel.

Clark was visiting Waltham for a candidate meet-and-greet event held by the Waltham Democratic City Committee, where candidates mingled with voters and then took the floor to present their cases to voters ahead of the upcoming Democratic primary.

Clark appeared at the event alongside challenger Jonathan Paz. According to event organizer Andrew Fintzel, soon after her arrival, Clark was approached by a handful of attendees attempting to engage her about aid to Israel.

Fintzel said Clark answered some of their questions and then attempted to disengage and talk to other constituents. These attendees followed her, recording the interaction on their phones and attempting to restart the same discussion until Clark retreated to a private part of the venue. Fintzel said some of the group again tried to follow her, at which point he informed them they were trespassing, asked them to leave and called for police backup.

Fintzel said he discussed the situation with Clark, who he said decided to leave in order to avoid “putting the volunteers in a difficult place” and further disrupting the event for other attendees.

Most attendees were at this point gathered in a separate room to hear from other primary candidates. When Fintzel announced that Clark would no longer be speaking at the event, Eli Gerzon interrupted his speech repeatedly to protest his description of the confrontation and Clark’s departure. After repeated back-and-forth, Gerzon was shouted down by other audience members who expressed that they wanted to hear from other candidates, and Fintzel brought Clark’s opponent, Paz, up to speak.

Outside this room, a police officer had approached other attendees involved in the confrontation, asking them again to leave. These attendees contended they had no further public remarks to make and wanted to remain at the event to listen to other candidates’ speeches. When more police officers arrived, they talked briefly with protesters and then withdrew. According to Fintzel, the officers determined that the protesters had broken no laws and were allowed to stay at the public event. Multiple protesters remained at the event without further public interruption.

Gerzon, who uses they/them pronouns, said they live in Arlington, which is part of Clark’s district. They acknowledged that Clark this month voted in favor of ending military aid to Israel but said they wanted to ask Clark to support another bill to limit military support to Israel known as the Block the Bombs Act.

Gerzon added that they also wanted Clark to publicly call Israel’s actions a genocide, following a September U.N. report labeling Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip as genocide after observations since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israeli civilians.

Fintzel said Clark left to avoid further disruptions to the event. He said he was frustrated that the confrontation disrupted the event for other attendees and deprived them of a chance to speak with her.

He said an informed electorate is essential for democracy, noting that “responsible, respectful dialogue” helps inform the electorate. He said the protesters’ behavior does not “reflect the spirit of responsible, respectful dialogue.” 

Clark’s office did not respond to The Waltham Times’ request for comment before the publication deadline.