A town hall hosted by Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene escalated to violence after police were forced to deploy tasers against multiple protesters looking to confront Taylor-Greene.
Reporters on the ground at the event in Georgia indicated there were at least six protesters escorted from the town hall within minutes of it starting. Three of the individuals were eventually charged by police for their involvement in the disruption, including one for disorderly conduct, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
“Put your hands behind your back!” a police officer can be heard in a video of the incident shared on social media by CBS News reporter Jared Eggleston. “F— off –” the man can be heard yelling as he disappeared off-screen behind a wall, before a loud bang could be heard followed by the sound of a taser.
A second bang from another taser going off could be heard shortly thereafter.
Footage of the protests and arrests can be found here —
Accounts from additional videos from the event show a handful of others being escorted out, with some leaving on their own volition and others having to be literally dragged out by police.
“Free Garcia,” one protester could be heard saying as they were exiting in a video posted to X, referring to Kilmar Ábrego García, who has been at the center of a deportation controversy after a federal judge said the Trump administration wrongly deported him with a group of Venezuelan gang members.
“Free Kilmar!” another could be heard screaming repeatedly on video as they were escorted out.
At moments, as police escorted the protesters out of the town hall, Greene engaged with the disruptors.
“The protest is outside. Thank you very much,” Greene said.
“If you were to sit and listen, you’re welcome to listen. Everyone across the aisle – Democrats, Independents,” she added while someone was being escorted out.
“I’m glad they got thrown out,” Greene said following the event.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to see happen … This isn’t a political rally or a protest. I held a town hall tonight. You know who was out of line? The protesters.”
The disruption at Greene’s rally follows a rash of increased volatility at local GOP town halls.
Things have gotten tense enough that the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., has told his fellow Republicans to temporarily refrain from holding in-person town hall events.
Citing the uptick in “Democrat threats of violence,” GOP Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman followed Hudson’s advice and moved all of her in-person town halls online.
The move came after an incident in which an attendee of one of her in-person events followed Hageman as she left and initiated a physical confrontation with her staff, eventually requiring police to intervene.
Green was only one of a handful of GOP members that decided to do an in-person event amid the current ongoing legislative recess, according to NBC News.