Several audience members were escorted out of a town hall Tuesday night in Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Georgia district, with police stunning two attendees.
Video shows a man being wrestled to the ground as he is escorted out of the event by a group of officers before an officer deployed a stun device as the man rose to his feet. Some members of the crowd can be heard cheering.
Greene had warned the audience against protesting during remarks shortly after an audience member interrupted her at the beginning of the event at a community center in Acworth.
“This is a town hall; this is not a political rally. This is not a protest. If you end up in wanting to protest, if you want to shout and chant, we will have you removed, just like that man was thrown out. We will not tolerate it,” Greene said.
Acworth police said in a statement that officers were “threatened, physically resisted, and harmed in the process” of trying to remove Johnny Keith Williams, 45, of Dallas; Andrew Russell Nelms, 40, of Atlanta; and Kiyana Davis, 28, of Dallas, who were all arrested in connection with disrupting the event.
Williams and Nelms were arrested on suspicion of simple battery on a law enforcement officer and obstruction of a law enforcement officer. Davis was arrested and accused of using vulgar language.
Follow live politics coverage here
Greene responded to a series of questions from constituents that were displayed at the event, including questions that directly criticized billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Concerns were also raised about potential cuts to Social Security and Medicaid.
In response to a question about what she would do to “rein in” Trump, Greene said the person posing the question had been “completely brainwashed.”
“What am I going to do? I am going to stand by my president. I’m going to support my president, and I’m going to fight for his agenda,” she said.
The event was punctuated by a series of interruptions from angry audience members, whom Greene addressed directly as officers removed them.
“The protest is outside. Bye, have fun out there,” Greene said as a protester was removed.
The Acworth Police Department said that about six attendees were escorted from the event without any issue and that crime analysts had uncovered online posts ahead of the event previewing potentially disruptive conduct.
“Sadly, as soon as the Congresswoman began her presentation, several members of the audience became disruptive and created an imminent public safety threat for all in attendance,” the department said.
In addition to those who disrupted Greene’s remarks, others protested outside the venue.
A spokesperson for Greene did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
Asked after the event by a reporter about whether she would have done anything differently after officers had forcibly removed several demonstrators, Greene pointed to support she said had received from others in attendance.
“We also have to recognize that the majority in the room were standing and cheering when those people were thrown out, and again, it was the protesters who were out of line,” Greene said.
Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, had advised GOP lawmakers in a closed-door meeting last month against holding town halls after some Republicans holding events faced harsh criticism from angry attendees over efforts by the Trump administration to slash government spending and the federal workforce.
Acworth police said in their statement Tuesday night that they had “provided a designated area in proximity to the facility where many people peacefully exercised their constitutionally protected First Amendment rights.”
“It is disappointing that a very small number of people actively worked to create a temporary disruption to what was otherwise a completely peaceful event,” they said.
