Fetterman Condemns Protest Cheering US Soldier Deaths

The Pennsylvania senator called the comments 'truly appalling'.

Mar. 26, 2026 at 11:07pm

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U.S. Senator John Fetterman condemned what he described as calls for the deaths of U.S. service members after video circulated online showing a speaker at a Philadelphia protest praising militant groups hostile to the United States and cheering American military casualties.

Why it matters

While demonstrations against U.S. military action are common, explicit praise for attacks on U.S. troops remains a red line for many lawmakers across the political spectrum. Fetterman's condemnation highlights the bipartisan consensus against celebrating the deaths of American soldiers.

The details

The video showed a speaker at a Philadelphia protest saying that every attack on a U.S. military base and every American soldier killed should be celebrated, while praising Hamas, Hezbollah and other armed groups described as 'resistance forces.' Fetterman, who has at times broken with his party on defense and national security issues, wrote on X that the comments were 'truly appalling' and questioned where the 'Dem outrage and condemnation' was.

  • The video was shared on X on March 26, 2026.

The players

John Fetterman

A U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and a Democrat who has at times broken with his party on defense and national security issues.

Frankie Scales

A Philadelphia-based activist who filmed the video of the protest.

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What they’re saying

“Here in Philadelphia. Truly appalling. These a******* chanting for the death of our service members. Where's the Dem outrage and condemnation?”

— John Fetterman, U.S. Senator

“Until we have done everything in our power to bring the United States to its knees, let us not lose sight of the enemy. For every U.S. military base that crumbles, and for every U S. soldier who returns home in the casket, we cheer. Hamas, Hezbollah, Ansar Allah, all of the resistance forces we celebrate, these popular voices on the ground, spend every waking moment in direct confrontation with Zionism, and they rely on a strong Iranian state to maintain their fighting capacity.”

— Unidentified speaker

What’s next

It remains unclear whether other Democrats will also respond to the Philadelphia protest or Fetterman's criticism.

The takeaway

Fetterman's condemnation of the protest's calls for the deaths of U.S. service members highlights the bipartisan consensus against celebrating the deaths of American soldiers, even as he has at times broken with his party on defense and national security issues.