Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) slammed demonstrators who gathered outside his home in Vienna, Va., on Monday evening to protest Hawley’s objection to certification of the Electoral College results.
The demonstrators from ShutDownDC, a climate change activist group that has branched off to other causes, arrived at Hawley’s home and shouted slogans and speeches through megaphones. At one point several demonstrators dropped a copy of the Constitution on the front doorstep. The Senator was in Missouri at the time, but his wife and young daughter were in the house.
“Tonight while I was in Missouri, Antifa scumbags came to our place in DC and threatened my wife and newborn daughter, who can’t travel,” Hawley wrote on Twitter. “They screamed threats, vandalized, and tried to pound open our door. Let me be clear: My family & I will not be intimidated by leftwing violence.”
Protesters did not knock on the door but instead rang the senator’s doorbell, according to Patrick Young, a ShutDownDC organizer.
“This was not threatening behavior,” Young told the Washington Post. “This is people engaging in democracy and engaging in civil discourse….This was a pretty tame and peaceful visit to his house.”
Police who were called to the scene told demonstrators that they were in violation of state and local laws, Juan Vazquez, Public Information Officer for the Vienna police department, told National Review. State codes prohibit protests outside of a private residence, while Vienna has ordinances prohibiting noisemaking.
Officers explained the violations to the demonstrators, “gave them a verbal warning, and they left,” Vazquez said.
Demonstrations outside the homes of lawmakers and other elected officials have occurred since the summer, in the wake civil unrest following the killing of George Floyd and through the national elections. The homes of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) were vandalized over the weekend after the Senate shot down bill to disburse $2,000 stimulus checks.
Editor’s note 12:30 p.m.: This article has been updated with comment from the Vienna, Va., police department.