One protester threatened the family of GEO Group’s former general counsel, John Bulfin.
“We know where all your children live throughout the country … John Bulfin you have kids in [bleeped out], you have kids in [bleeped out],” the protester yelled. “We know everything about you and you won’t just be seeing us here.”
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“We know where you sleep at night,” another protester shouted. “We know what kind of dog food you buy your dogs.”
“We’re not actually joking,” the protester said before shouting the location of where Bulfin lives. “John Bulfin you go to [bleeped out], you go to church on [bleeped out], you live on [bleeped out] the road. We are not joking.”
Another can be heard yelling: “When immigrant bodies are under attack, what do we do?”
"Fight back,” other protesters responded.
Breitbart reports that the footage was taken a day before shots were fired early Tuesday at an ICE office and GEO Group office in San Antonio, Texas, in what the FBI has called a “targeted attack.”
I think any reasonable person would say that this is unacceptable. ICE facilities should not be targeted for firebombing and ICE officials should not be shot at and threatened or have the lives of their children threatened. But this kind of violence has not emerged from a void, it has been spurred by the recent rhetoric of politicians and news pundits.
My question, NSG, is a simple one: should the politicians and media personalities responsible for putting out violent or demonizing rhetoric against ICE be expected to condemn this kind of violence and take responsibility for the effects of their words?
My take: the politicians and media figures who have pushed radical anti-ICE messages should be taken to task for the effects of their words. They should apologize and immediately condemn these kinds of actions in order to demonstrate that this behavior is unacceptable. Failing that, I think this kind of thing is going to become more common. If the relevant figures refuse to condemn these actions, I think it's fair to assume that this was what they were hoping for all along.
Your thoughts?