A Spanish-speaking bishop from Stamford, Connecticut was shouted down at a town hall in Norfolk last week for Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT). Emilio Alvarez introduced himself in English and proceeded to say he would like to ask his question in his native tongue, as he knows the congressman can speak Spanish – Himes was born in Lima, Peru and raised in Bogota, Colombia. Almost immediately, town hall attendees start shouting “no!” at Alvarez, and continue to shout and heckle him the entire time he attempts to ask his question (and Himes attempts to listen).
Here’s the video:
At one point, the crowd starts chanting “English! English!” – at which point Himes raises his hand in a gesture for the crowd to quiet down, which works for a few seconds. Alvarez finishes his question and sits down as some in the crowd applaud him and others boo loudly.
Himes then translates the question for the audience, and as he refers to the man they’ve just shouted down as a bishop and clergyman, an audience member yells, “Well he ought to speak English!” Himes ignores this and discusses how losing employment shouldn’t mean losing health insurance, which the audience applauds.
(h/t Think Progress)
