It’s not uncommon to see climate activists attempt to draw attention to their causes through stunts of various natures — usually ones that end up backfiring.
Rarely does it backfire as spectacularly as it did on Thursday when a protester interrupted a speech by Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley on China and Ukraine, saying we should be focusing on the “climate crisis” instead.
According to Fox News, the woman, who came with a handmade poster saying “people [and] planet, not war [and] aggression,” got up during Hawley’s speech at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, in Washington, D.C.
“I think you’re forgetting that we have the largest military in the world. We spend over $1 trillion every year in this state,” the protester said.
“Your state of Missouri … over half the people are in poverty.”
When a security guard grabbed the woman, she went on to say, “China’s not our enemy, the climate crisis is.”
“We need to be more serious about the climate crisis,” the protester continued prattling as she exited stage left, the crowd laughing at her.
“We are continuing to have more aggression with China, and we’re spending more on our military than 100 countries combined. The climate crisis is our common threat.”
Climate activist heckles Sen. Josh Halwley’s speech: “China is not our enemy. The climate crisis is!”
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) February 16, 2023
Hawley retweeted a source that said the protester was from the radical leftist anti-war group Code Pink, adding, “This was so fun.”
This was so fun https://t.co/TtRTRwOJRF
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) February 16, 2023
Hawley also joked she might have a future job in Washington, as well:
Joe Biden’s next energy secretary https://t.co/o6g2RcrqO3
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) February 16, 2023
After her removal, Hawley told the audience, “It’s interesting this administration wants to use the climate crisis as a justification for its agenda in Ukraine and elsewhere.”
“Maybe they ought to visit with that gal,” he added.
[firefly_poll]
Not only did this manage to get this woman laughed off stage, it highlighted an important point: Even if the “climate crisis” is our greatest enemy, China is … still our greatest enemy, too.
In 2021, a study by the Rhodium Group found that China emitted 27 percent of all greenhouse gases in 2019 — more than the rest of the industrialized world combined, according to the BBC.
The United States emits only 11 percent. Of course, protesting a communist apparatchik like this in China would get you a punishment a bit more severe than being laughed at and dragged off stage, which is why this kind of thing isn’t quite as popular over there.
“Even if China wasn’t the world’s worst polluter — which it is — the idea that climate change is a greater threat to the United States than the Chinese Communist Party is idiotic,” Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts told Fox News.
“What’s even more foolish — this administration’s willingness to ignore very real threats from China because they want a purely political win on climate change,” he added.
At the very least, most right-thinking people know that people with these priorities can be safely laughed off stage.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.