Rep. Al Green Held Up Black People Aren't Apes Sign At SOTU

Rep. Al Green, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, defiantly held up a sign that read “Black People Aren’t Apes” as Trump entered the chamber. Rep. Al Green was eventually escorted outside of the chamber, with two Republican Party congressmen accosting him on his way out.

Rep. Al Green, 78, represents Texas’ 9th District, as he’s done since 2004. Green, a ranking member of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, along with other committee assignments, was seen during the State Of The Union’s broadcast holding the aforementioned sign.

It can be assumed that this was in response to President Trump’s offensive video depicting President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes, with public outcry leading to the deletion of the clip. The president has yet to apologize for sharing the video.

In an interview with Reuters at the Capitol after the ejection, he spoke about his protest.

“I wanted him to know that portraying President Obama and First Lady Obama as members of the primate family is not only unacceptable, it is something that is deplorable and something we will not tolerate,”  he said. “Judging from the look on his face that he turned away quickly, he was at a moment of vulnerability because he’s not confronted by people who are willing to speak truth to him.”

Majority Leader Steve Scalise was the first member of Congress to attempt to get Green to ditch the sign earlier in the night. As Green was exiting the chamber while Trump continued, Troy Nehls, a Republican Party congressman who represents Texas’ 22nd District, attempted to snatch the sign from Green, who defiantly held on to the paper as Nehls ripped the sign.

This is the second State Of The Union where Green has been ejected from the chamber during the address. He was kicked out of the chamber last year for yelling at Trump.

Online, images of the moment are making their rounds, along with reactions from observers to the explosive moment involving Congressman Al Green. We’ve got those reactions below.

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