Protesters derailed a Washington, D.C., panel featuring U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, calling him a “war criminal” and a “Nazi.”
Six people interrupted the speakers at various points during the beginning of the roughly hour-long panel, which was part of the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting. They shouted condemnations of the U.S. war with Iran and referenced the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“You’re not a warrior, you’re a coward,” one person yelled, adding, “Children in Gaza are starving!” Another shouted, “You’re killing my family.”
The final protester yelled, “The world f—— hates you.” “You’re a f—— war criminal. You’re a Nazi. We’ll see you at the goddamn Hague. You should be ashamed of yourself,” as security pushed him outside of the packed ballroom.
Hegseth made a handful of quips addressing the initial interruptions, saying, “She thinks highly of me,” in response to the first protester.
He appeared to get more irritated as they continued.
“Appears we have a bit of a tactic,” he said.
The panel was intended to be a conversation about Project Agincourt, a Pentagon initiative to accelerate the development and acquisition of autonomous systems.
At one point, after a protester interrupted, a handful of spectators chanted “USA, USA, USA,” before quieting as the panelists continued speaking.
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.
