by While Newt Gingrich was accepting his endorsements from Iowa Speaker of the House Kraig Paulsen and New Hampshire Speaker of the House Bill O’Brien, he was loudly interrupted. During the press conference, a group started loudly chanting “put people first” before being sent out of the room by the security team.
Protestors’ Point
As David Goodner, one protestor from the Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund said,
“He’s not welcome here in Iowa until he starts representing everyday people and hardworking families and the 99 percent. We’re going to keep getting in his face until he starts changing his policies.”
Appearing completely undaunted by the shouting, Gingrich watched as they were escorted out of the room. Then, when he was interrupted for a second time, Gingrich said, “I’ll talk outside. As soon as this press conference is over, I’ll talk to you.”
Gingrich, countering the Occupy Wall Street movement slogan “we are the 99 percent” said that the protestors only represent “one-tenth of one percent.”
After Press Conference Heckling
Following the press conference, the protesters followed Gingrich down the Iowa Capitol halls, shouting at him as the journalists followed.
Jessica Reznicek, one of the Occupy Des Moines protestors explained their motive. She said,
“We’re not millionaires, we don’t have the money that it takes to have all these cameras pointing in our face.”
Diluting the force of her convictions a bit, Reznicek continued by explaining that they would be protesting at the campaigns of all of the presidential candidates.