FIRST ON FOX: Climate change protesters interrupted Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin during a speech to the Federalist Society and Defense of Freedom Institute (DFI) – while he was recounting his visit to Arlington Cemetery’s 9/11 Memorial earlier in the morning.
Youngkin had been speaking for several minutes when he pivoted to remember those Virginians and Americans lost in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon 23 years ago Wednesday.
A female protester could be heard yelling that Youngkin was “unfit” and that “future generations will remember him as a climate criminal.”
Without raising his voice, Youngkin admonished the protesters, saying there could not be a worse time to make their own voices heard:
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“Today is a day of solemn remembrance. I just came from Arlington National Cemetery. I just came from the honor and privilege of laying a wreath at both the Pentagon Group Memorial Burial marker, and at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” Youngkin said.
Hearing a plane overhead while in the cemetery made him recall that day in 2001, as he began to speak about a mother and a sister of a victim whom he encountered at the memorial.
Mid-sentence, several protesters moved to the front of the room and unfurled a banner with an offensive nickname for the governor written on it.
Speaking over the protesters and into his microphone, Youngkin said, “Folks, I’m talking about 9/11 right now.”
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“There couldn’t be anything more disrespectful to… our nation than what you are doing right now – not a thing.”
Undeterred, the climate protesters began chanting: “No more oil, keep the carbon in the soil,” as Youngkin was approached by aides.
The governor continued with his address, ignoring the protesters’ chants, saying, “Today is a day to think about America.”
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“Today is a day to remind ourselves that there were 3,000 men and women who lost their lives on 9/11. Today is a day to remind ourselves there’s evil in the world. And today is finally a day to remember that there are incredibly brave men and women who put their hand up and say: ‘Send me’ that stand between evil and peace.”
When asked for further comment, a representative for Youngkin pointed back to his response to the protesters at the time they interrupted him.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Federalist Society and DFI for comment.
