Politics
Liam O'Dell
Aug 25, 2022
Real America's Voice
The controversial Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is running for re-election as representative of Georgia’s 14th congressional district in November’s midterms, was ‘swatted’ by law enforcement in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
‘Swatting’ refers to the practice of filing a fake emergency call with the intent of having armed police arrive at the target’s home. Ms Greene said officials arrived at her house “just after 1am”.
The Trump supporter, who has previously promoted far-right QAnon conspiracy theories, wrote on Twitter: “Last night, I was swatted just after 1am. I can’t express enough gratitude to my local law enforcement here in Rome, Floyd County. More details to come.”
According to a police report obtained by the Daily Dot, the false call concerned a man who had supposedly been “shot five times in a bathtub”, with a woman and “possibly … some children” still inside the building.
When police arrived, Ms Greene explained to officers “there was no issue” and that she would “forward the issue to the appropriate security services”.
She also requested a “keep check” on her home, meaning officers randomly check a residence for a brief period for security reasons.
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After the incident, the local 911 service received a call in which a suspect using a “computer generated voice” claimed responsibility for the incident.
The report continues: “They explained that they were upset about Ms Greene’s stance on ‘transgender youth’s rights’ and stated they were trying to ‘Swat’ her.”
After being made aware of the supposed motive for the incident, Ms Greene took to Twitter and said: “If this is the war the left wants, this is the war the left will get. I will never stop protecting children and defending their innocence.
“We have to immediately pass … the Protect Children’s Innocence Act, to end the mutilation of kids.”
\u201cLast night, I was swatted just after 1 am.\n\nI can\u2019t express enough gratitude to my local law enforcement here in Rome, Floyd County.\n\nMore details to come.\u201d— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1661345582
Ms Greene’s proposals, condemned by many as “transphobic”, seeks to criminalise “gender-affirming care” which the US politician falsely claims is “child abuse”.
“My legislation would immediately make it a felony to subject children to puberty blockers or horrific ‘sex change’ genital surgeries,” she explained.
In a piece for The Seattle Times in May, Kellan Baker and Arjee Javellana Restar of the community-centred enterprise the Whitman-Walker Institute criticised the wave of attacks on gender-affirming care.
“Like efforts to ban abortion, bans on social transition and gender-affirming care for trans youth fly in face of medical guidelines that outline why these services are medically necessary and often lifesaving.
“The Endocrine Society and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health maintain expert standards that describe the safe and effective provision of care to trans youth.
“Multiple scientific studies have found that social support, including use of appropriate pronouns and names — which is the primary intervention for trans youth — and gender-affirming care such as puberty delay medications improve mental health and are associated with better health and quality of life in adulthood,” they wrote.
Meanwhile state laws and legislative proposals, they went on to argue, focus on “misinformation and fearmongering” as opposed to actual science.
Or facts too, you could argue, which in the case of some US politicians, is hardly surprising.
The targeting of Ms Greene – described as “unacceptable” by her Democrat opponent Marcus Flowers – comes just over a week after Boston Children’s Hospital was forced to issue a statement about “hostile internet activity, phone calls and harassing phone calls including threats of violence” directed at their staff and clinicians.
\u201chttps://t.co/Sx3ATUDxSL\u201d— Boston Children's (@Boston Children's) 1660683699
The hospital, which offers trans healthcare for children and adults: “We are deeply concerned by these attacks on our clinicians and staff fuelled by misinformation and a lack of understanding and respect for our transgender community.
“We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms, and we reject the false narrative upon which they are based.”
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