Riots erupted at a press conference held by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on the Uvalde school massacre. Democratic politician and gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke on Wednesday blamed Abbott for the violence because of his stance on gun rights: “They do nothing”the former presidential candidate said to the conservative governor. “That is your responsibility.”
“You said it wasn’t foreseeable, but that was totally foreseeable if you decide not to do anything,” said O’Rourke, who first sat in the audience and then walked to the stage where Abbott was sitting. O’Rourke, a well-known advocate for stricter gun lawswill challenge Abbott in the November gubernatorial election.
The performance caused a great deal of excitement, and several police officers intervened. The mayor of Uvalde, Don McLaughlin, shouted for O’Rourke to leave the room. He even described the Democrats as a “sick bastard” who was politically instrumentalizing the school massacre.
Abbott had previously focused on the psychological problems of the perpetrators at the press conference when asked regarding the causes of gun attacks. This argument is often made by conservative politicians, while Democratic Party officials like O’Rourke are pushing for stricter gun laws. (AFP)
