Liberal media gushes over pro-choice demonstrations after ripping parents protesting school boards
Parents were previously called 'maniacs' and 'threats to democracy'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Members of the liberal media, who repeatedly labeled parents protesting their local school boards as dangerous and racist, now appear to have much more enthusiasm for the pro-choice activists outraged by the recent leaked draft opinion striking down Roe v Wade.
Following Attorney General Merrick Garland’s order for the FBI to investigate possible threats and acts of violence against school board officials as "domestic terrorism," MSNBC ran numerous segments emphasizing videos of parents yelling at school boards, often providing ample commentary for viewers to chew on.
In October, MSNBC fill-in anchor Jason Johnson wondered if White nationalism was behind the high-tension scenes playing out across the country.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Abortion-rights protesters wave flags during a demonstration outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, Sunday, May 8, 2022, in Washington. A draft opinion suggests the Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a Politico report released Monday. ((AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe))
"To me, is this really about people being upset about mask mandates or are there sort of underlying disruptive forces, White nationalists, anarchists, whatever, in this country, that are using mask mandates and a public health crisis to sort of wage chaos?" Johnson asked.
Meanwhile, "11th Hour" host Stephanie Ruhle pondered how the "rage" and "anger" of parents protesting school boards could be impacting their children at home.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}During a particularly scathing critique of concerned parents on "Deadline White House," host Nicolle Wallace and panelists David Jolly, A.B. Stoddard and Kristofer Goldsmith blasted protesters as "real threats," and violent "maniacs" that should be contained by law enforcement.
"The goal is to intimidate and harass [school board officials] until they quit to create vacancies so that these maniacs can put their friends on these boards," Goldsmith, an intelligence, extremism and disinformation analyst said.
WHITE HOUSE CONDEMNS ‘ATTEMPTS TO INTIMIDATE’ DURING PRO-ABORTION PROTESTS AT CATHOLIC CHURCHES
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NEW YORK, NY - MAY 07: Abortion-rights activists gather outside of a Catholic church in downtown Manhattan to voice their support for a woman's right to choose on May 07, 2022 in New York City. The protests at the Basilica of St. Patricks Old Cathedral, which have been occurring weekly and where a small number of anti-abortion activists worship, have been given added urgency by the recent leaked Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images) (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
African American Studies Princeton Professor Eddie Glaude Jr. similarly tore into parents during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," saying parents are threatening to bring machine guns to board meetings and that Americans need to understand the "intensity" and "scale" of the "crisis."
"There are Americans who are willing to threaten folks who are risking their lives every day to keep our children safe. Who are risking their lives every day to make sure that this republic remains a republic. And we have to respond to this crisis in kind. We have to respond to these folks, not by saying that they are just simply marginal voices but to respond to them as the threats that they represent to our democracy," Glaude Jr. added.
CNN also waded into the parental rights debate, giving ample time to Sarasota County School Board Chair Shirley Brown, who said that parents had been harassing board members and calling them tyrants, Marxists and communists.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But, recent coverage of pro-choice protesters has been much more favorable, with members of the media touting the anguish of women and downplaying concerns about the safety of Supreme Court Justices.
"I think for a lot of people a conversation about civility feels like it misses the mark," CNN anchor Laura Jarrett said Monday, noting that the Justices have security and that the demonstrations have been "overwhelmingly non-violent."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Amy Carney speaks on behalf of parents during a protest against critical race theory being taught at Scottsdale Unified School District before a digital school board meeting at Coronado High Schoo in Scottsdale on May 24, 2021.Protest At The Susd (Reuters)
Back on MSNBC, NBC reporter Julie Tirskin empathetically told viewers Sunday about the growing number of "little babies" and daughters standing out in the rain protesting with their mothers and fathers. The segment highlighted an interview with a mother in support of abortion, out protesting with her 8-month-old.
"They’re really speaking from the heart. Many of them are talking about their own abortion experiences and how their lives may have been saved because they had an abortion," NBC reporter Gary Grumbach said during live coverage of the protests that same day. He added that it was Mother’s Day and that the women found it "so important" to speak out that they chose to forgo their plans with family.
MSNBC anchor Mika Brzezinski also noted the anguish of pro-choice women a few days earlier.
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"Women feel at this point that everything has been pulled back—everything they’ve ever fought for," she said.
A White House official told Fox News Digital in a statement Sunday that President Biden opposes any "attempts to intimidate" by protesters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"As Jen reiterated last week, the President has made clear throughout his time in public life that Americans have the fundamental right to protest under the Constitution, whatever their point of view," the official said. "But protests must be peaceful and free of violence, vandalism, or attempts to intimidate, all of which he condemns in any case."
Fox News' Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.