US veteran Brian McGinnis stood up in the middle of a Senate hearing, loudly declaring: “America does not want to fight this war for Israel.” What followed was a horrifying episode that went viral, netting hundreds of millions of views around the world: A Republican senator swooped in to get him out of the room, and helped break his arm in a gruesome fashion. There were horrified yells from attendees, and shocking silence from politicians in the room.
Recovering from his injury, McGinnis spoke with Prem about the incident, what propelled him to speak out against the war on Iran, and the propaganda machine he’s pushing against.
McGinnis described the atmosphere inside the Senate hearing room as “dystopian,” saying members of Congress were behaving like “robots” as he was violently removed.
He argued that pro-war propaganda and “shallow” slogans like “support your troops” are “made to just hypnotize us away from thinking critically.”
“Find empathy in your heart for other nations… I’ve met many people from the Middle East, and sadly, many of them have lost people in bombings and military incursions,” he said. “I don’t know how I would react if a foreign military was entering into my hometown in a violent way and my loved ones were there.”
While US politicians may have ignored him, McGinnis said, he’s received massive public support, reflecting an imbalance between the government and the people.
“Life is about hugging your children and finding your partner and loving them and creating happiness and joy,” he said. “Our military is being used to provoke violence and to pad the pockets of billionaires and politicians who will never lead for the causes they are pushing. And we’re all waking up to it.”
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