Desiree Fairooz
Desiree Fairooz
Desiree Anita Ali-Fairooz is an Activist known for her public protests at government hearings. She laughed during Jeff Sessions' confirmation hearing when Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) read a statement claiming that Sessions’s record of “treating all Americans equally under the law is clear and well-documented.” [5]She also called out as she was being removed. She joined Code Pink for a protest of Condeleeza Rice during George W. Bush's presidency, adding to the spectacle by having blood covered hands. She is being prosecuted for her disruption of Jeff Sessions hearing with a trial scheduled for September 2017.
Personal Life and Activities
Fairooz, a political activist for several decades, has often caused disturbances at events featuring prominent leaders.
She has also been a part of campaigns protesting corrupt officials and the political culture Washington D.C. [2]
The first time she protested against Jeff Sessions was in 1986 when she ran a campaign highlighting his alleged racism. [6]
She is of middle-eastern descent.
Protests
Footage of the moment when Desiree shows up at a event with bloody hands to scare Condoleezza Rice.
In 2007, Fairooz put blood in her hands and at the start of a Congressional Hearing approached Condoleezza Rice saying that she and the rest of the Bush Administration are responsible for the blood of millions of people. [4]
Fairooz vs. Sessions
Footage of the moment when Desiree was kicked and arrested for disorderly conduct.
In January 2017, Fairooz was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct during the Senate confirmation hearing for Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III as U.S.
Attorney General.
Fairooz stated that the sole reason she was arrested was because she laughed when Senator Richard Shelby reading from a prepared statement said Session's “treating all Americans equally
under the law is clear and well-documented.”
Fairooz, who has protested against Sessions since 1986 for his alleged racism and uncritical opinion of the KKK, said Shelby's statement struck her as ironic and funny. She claimed that since she was in the back of the room, her "spontaneous" laugh did not interrupt Shelby. The Department Of Justice claims that her laughter was “disorderly and disruptive conduct”. [6]
In May 2nd, 2017, US Department of Justice prosecutors pressed charges against Fairooz for her behavior during the Senate hearings. If convicted, she faces six months in prison and a $500 fine. [1]