A man dressed as Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat, tossed out an activist who confronted the senator at a Pittsburgh bar.
During a Sunday event at Shorty’s Pins x Pints, Fetterman was approached by former Pittsburgh Law adjunct professor Dan Kovalik and questioned why he does not support a ceasefire in Israel amid the nation’s war with the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas.
Fetterman has been a vocal supporter of Israel since the war against Hamas began on October 7.
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Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat, was accosted by an adjunct University of Pittsburgh law professor over his stance on Israel. (PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images)
“I just took on [Fetterman] for his failure to support a ceasefire for [Gaza] and was assaulted,” Kovalik posted on X with the video. “Come see the violence inherent in the system.”
The video shows Kovalik, carrying a keffiyeh, approaching Fetterman at the event and confronting the senator.
“Can I ask you something? Can I ask you something?” Kovalik asked of Fetterman in the video posted Sunday night. “Why don’t you support the humanitarian ceasefire?”
One of Fetterman’s staffers stepped in, informing Kovalik that he was the guy the professor could “talk to” with his questions.
“No, I can talk to [him], I voted for him!” Kovalik shouted back. “I’m sorry, this is a democracy.”
The flyer former Pittsburgh law adjunct professor Dan Kovalik was trying to hand to Senator John Fetterman, D-Penn. (Fox News Digital/Dan Kovalik)
“It absolutely is,” Fetterman’s staffer replied back.
“Yeah, but kind of, sort of,” Kovalik said, turning back to Fetterman. “10,000 people in Gaza have been killed, half are children. The pope is calling for a ceasefire. The U.N. has called for it.”
“I’m just asking you. You’re a good guy, I voted for you, I know you’re a nice guy,” Kovalik continued, pulling out what appeared to be a flyer.
Kovalik was then booted from the event by a person dressed in a Fetterman Halloween costume and pushed outside in front of a gaggle of police officers.
The former Pittsburgh Law professor shouted, “I asked the senator a question,” as he was pushed out the front door.
Fetterman’s office told Fox News Digital that the owner of the establishment was the person who removed Kovalik and is not a part of the senator’s official or campaign staff.
The Pennsylvania Democrat’s office said the senator values civil discourse with his constituents, including conversations he had with constituents who agreed and disagreed with Fetterman’s stance at the Sunday event.
Shorty’s Pins x Pints did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Kovalik sent Fox News Digital a picture of the flyer he was trying to hand Fetterman. He said that he “had a ticket to attend this event with Senator Fetterman and simply wanted to talk to him about this important issue.”
Kovalik has made several controversial statements on Israel in the past, including claiming in 2017 that “Israel is intent on the destruction of the Palestinian people, and it is engaged in a slow, patient, but systematic genocide.”
“Given that the U.S. props up Israel with billions of dollars of annual military support, the U.S. too is responsible for this slow-motion genocide,” Kovalik wrote. “And the citizens of the U.S. can no longer be silent as our tax dollars go to support this unspeakable crime.”
Additionally, in June 2021, Kovalik praised Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Qasem Soleimani — who led the Quds Force, which is considered a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S.
Dan Kovalik praised Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. General Qasem Soleimani, pictured here, who led the Quds Force, which is considered a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. ( Pool / Press Office of Iranian Supreme Leader/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Solemani was killed by a drone strike by then-President Trump in 2020.
“In front of the bust of General Qasem Soleimani, a beloved leader who helped free the region of terrorism and was killed by the US in return,” Kovalik wrote. “This is in Beirut.”
Kovalik told Fox News Digital on Monday that he stands by his position on Israel.
“You saw what happened,” Kovalik said. “I stand by my position that Israel has been engaged in a slow-moving genocide against Palestinians and is now engaged in a fast-moving genocide before our very eyes.”
“As for Solemeini, he was fighting the same terrorists in Iraq the US claimed it was fighting. That’s just a fact,” he continued. “In the ‘war on terror’ the US decided to turn its guns on everyone actually fighting Al Qaida. That also is a fact.”
Kovalik also pointed to a post of his from October 13 about a friend of his in Gaza who was killed amid the war.
“I just learned that my friend in Gaza, Heba Zagout, a great artist, was killed by Israel. Her last words to me, in a text, were: ‘We are sitting with the children. There is bombing. I feel afraid,’” he wrote.
“Her words were accompanied by these photos,” Kovalik continued.
Rockets are launched by Palestinian terrorists from the Gaza Strip toward Israel, in Gaza, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)
A spokesperson for the University of Pittsburgh told Fox News Digital that Kovalik’s contract with the school expired in June and was not renewed.
“He is not affiliated with the University,” the spokesperson said.
Fetterman has been a vocal supporter of Israel amid their war with Hamas that was sparked by the surprise terror attacks on October 7.
The Pennsylvania Democrat took a hard stance in the wake of the attacks, releasing a statement condemning Hamas’ “barbarism.”
“We now know this was a wide-scale, premeditated, cowardly, terrorist campaign against Israeli civilians that also claimed the lives of American citizens,” Fetterman wrote.
“I unequivocally support any necessary military, intelligence, and humanitarian aid to Israel. The United States has a moral obligation to be in lockstep with our ally as they confront this threat,” he continued. “I also fully support Israel neutralizing the terrorists responsible for this barbarism.”
The Pennsylvania Democrat took a hard stance in the wake of the attacks, releasing a statement condemning Hamas’ “barbarism.”
Confrontations of politicians have become more commonplace in recent years, especially during the Trump administration — at the encouragement of Democrats, no less.
Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters of California made headlines in 2018 when she encouraged her supporters to confront Trump administration officials.
“They’re not going to be able to go to a restaurant, they’re not going to be able to stop at a gas station, they’re not going to be able to shop at a department store,” Waters said. “The people are going to turn on them, they’re going to protest, they’re going to absolutely harass them.”
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Waters later attempted to walk back her rhetoric, publicly denying her encouragement of supporters to confront and harass members of the Trump administration.
“As a matter of fact, if you look at the words that I used, the strongest thing I said was tell them they’re not welcome,” Watters claimed. “[I said] Talk to them. Tell them they’re not welcome. I didn’t say go and fight. I didn’t say anybody was going to have any violence. And so they can’t make that stick.”
Fox News Digital’s Nicole Darrah and Yael Halon contributed reporting.