Protesters repeatedly disrupted a town hall hosted by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia Tuesday evening, prompting local police to arrest three people, including one who was tased inside the venue.
Within minutes of Greene entering the venue in Cobb County, Georgia, audience members began interrupting her, and a few scattered disruptions continued throughout the evening.
The Acworth Police Department confirmed to CBS News that police officers removed approximately six people from the event space, three of whom were arrested.
Early in the event, one protester fought with police officers who attempted to remove him, telling them to get their hands off him. Police then tasered him. Acworth police later reported that officers used a taser on a second attendee.
Greene responded to the disruptions by thanking police and stating, “We will not tolerate” heckling. She said, shortly after a protester was tased, “This is a peaceful town hall.”
After the event, the congresswoman told reporters she was “very thankful” for how police handled the protests, calling the attendees “out of line” and emphasizing that “this isn’t a political rally or a protest.”
“I am glad they were thrown out. “That is exactly what I wanted to see happen,” she stated.
According to Acworth police, two of the arrestees were charged with obstructing a law enforcement officer and simple battery on a law enforcement officer, while the third was charged with using vulgar language.
The department stated in a press release that its officers were “threatened, physically resisted, and harmed” while removing protesters.
Greene held the event in metro Atlanta after scores of other lawmakers, including Republicans and some Democrats, faced angry constituents and raucous protests at local town halls in recent weeks, many of which focused on President Trump’s policies or billionaire Elon Musk’s massive federal cost-cutting efforts. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa was also heckled by constituents during a town hall meeting on Tuesday evening, according to the Associated Press.
Some lawmakers, such as Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, have responded by holding virtual town halls. Greene held an in-person event on Tuesday, but attendees had to sign up ahead of time and confirm that they were constituents, and the location was not made public.
Greene also accepted pre-submitted questions, which she explained to reporters was intended to ensure that she could read people’s questions.