GGOP presidential candidate Jill Stein says she has been accused of assaulting a police officer after participating in a pro-Palestinian protest on the Washington University campus in St. Louis, Missouri, on Saturday.
“It was kind of scary to tell the truth,” Stein, 73, said in a interview with local news station KSDK following her release from several hours of detention after she and 99 others were arrested. “I was accused of attacking a police officer. Do you believe that?” (Stein’s campaign spokesman said CNN that they were “not aware of any allegations at this time”).
Stein said she was invited by students at the university — one of dozens across the U.S. who have been roiled in recent weeks by protests against Israel’s deadly military campaign in Gaza, accusations of anti-Semitism and clashes with police — to join the demonstration.
On a video taken before her arrest, which Stein posted on ”
Stein also posted Photos of her and members of her team, who she said were also arrested, arm in arm with student protesters. A video circulating on social media shows a confrontation between protesters, including Stein, and police – with a bicycle being pushed between the two groups.
According to a declaration by the University of Washington, 100 individuals – including 23 students and four university employees – were arrested on Saturday when they “refused to leave after being asked multiple times.”
“All face trespassing charges and some may also be charged with resisting arrest and assault, including for injuries to three officers who suffered injuries including a severe concussion, a broken finger and a groin injury,” the statement added.
“I think it’s a really bad look for the university,” Stein said KSDK. “This is about freedom of expression, and not just any old freedom of expression, but freedom of expression on a very critical issue that needs debate and dialogue.”
Stein said he was in Missouri to collect signatures to participate in the state’s 2024 presidential vote. Stein, a doctor and environmental activist, previously ran as the Green Party candidate for president in 2012 and 2016, and in 2024 campaign website emphasizes a “pro-worker, anti-war climate action agenda.”
“The American people are crying out for a choice,” Stein told KSDK. “They don’t want these two zombie candidates shoved down their throats again,” she said, referring to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the 81-year-old incumbent Democrat and the 77-year-old presumptive Republican nominee, respectively. . (Stein is also running against third-party candidate Cornel West and independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr.)
Stein visited Columbia, Miss., on Sunday and spoke about his arrest, among other topics like health and climate. “This was a very peaceful community event happening,” she he said of the demonstration at the University of Washington. “It’s like these are riot police coming to create a riot.”
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
