Riot at press conference on Texas school shooting

After the school massacre in Uvalde, riots broke out at a press conference held by Texas governor Greg Abott. His challenger Beto O’Rourke interrupted the speech. The police had to intervene.

Riots broke out at a press conference by Texas Governor Greg Abbott on the school massacre that left 21 dead in the small town of Uvalde. Democratic politician and governor candidate Beto O’Rourke blamed Abbott for the act of violence on Wednesday because of his position on gun laws: “They are not doing anything,” said the former presidential candidate to the conservative governor. “That is your responsibility.”

“You said it wasn’t predictable, but that was totally predictable if you decide not to do anything,” said O’Rourke, who first sat in the audience and then walked to the stage where Abbott was sitting. O’Rourke, a well-known advocate for stricter gun laws, will challenge Abbott in November’s gubernatorial election.

An 18-year-old shot 19 schoolchildren and two teachers with an assault rifle at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on Tuesday. He had no known criminal record or known mental illness, according to Governor Abbott. The worst school shooting in the US in ten years caused horror and sparked a new debate about lax gun laws in the country.

Encouragement on Twitter

O’Rourke’s appearance caused a great stir, and several police officers intervened. Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin loudly ordered O’Rourke to leave the hall. He even described the Democrats as a “sick bastard” who was politically instrumentalizing the school massacre.

Former Republican presidential candidate Joe Walsh defended O’Rourke on Twitter: “Beto O’Rourke and I are not at all on the same page on the gun issue, but I have absolutely no problem with what he did today. Sometimes you have to get out of the Stepping out of the box to wake people up. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I’ve done a lot of it myself.”

Actress Bette Midler commented on the behavior of the governor and the police chief, saying: “Look how these good ol’ boys are scared of Beto O’Rourke.”

Abbott spoke only about mental health problems of perpetrators

Abbott had previously focused on the psychological problems of the perpetrators at the press conference when asked about the causes of gun attacks. This argument is often made by conservative politicians, while Democratic Party officials like O’Rourke are pushing for stricter gun laws.