Senator John Kennedy drew widespread criticism after he told an Arab-American activist to put her head in a bag during a hate crimes hearing.

Maya Berry, the founder of the Arab American Institute, appeared before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday to discuss hate crimes in the country.

Activist groups say there has been a rise in hate crimes targeting Muslims, Palestinians and Jews since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, sparking Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza that has left more than 40,000 Palestinians dead.

During his questioning, Kennedy repeatedly suggested that Berry supported Hamas, the group that has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, despite her repeated denials. Berry called his line of questioning “extraordinarily disappointing.”

On social media, civil rights groups and others condemned Kennedy’s treatment of Berry, with some calling for him to be reprimanded.

Newsweek contacted Kennedy’s office for comment via email. Berry was contacted for comment via an email to the Arab American Institute.

“You support Hamas, right?” Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, Berry asked.

“Senator, oddly enough, I want to thank you for your question, because it illustrates very effectively the purpose of our hearing today,” she replied, at which point Kennedy interrupted her and asked her if she could answer yes or no.

She said, “Hamas is a foreign terrorist organization that I do not support, but by asking that question of the director of the Arab American Institute, you are really highlighting the problem of hate in our country.”

“I got your answer and I appreciate it. (…) You support Hezbollah, don’t you?” Kennedy asked then, referring to the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group.

“I find this series of questions extremely disappointing again,” Berry said, at which point Kennedy interrupted her again, noting that his time was limited and asking her for a yes or no answer.

“The answer is I do not support violence, whether it is Hezbollah, Hamas or any other entity that calls for violence, so no, sir,” she said.

Kennedy continued: “You just can’t bring yourself to say no, can you? Do you support Iran and their Jew-hatred or are you against it?”

Kennedy then talked over Berry when she tried to respond. She then said, “As a Muslim woman, sir, I’m going to tell you that I do not support Iran.”

Kennedy then noted Berry’s earlier criticism of Congress for cutting funding to The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA), which provides services to Palestinian refugees, amid allegations that some of its employees were involved in the October 7 attack. Berry defended her support for UNRWA’s relief work.

“Let me ask you again, you support Hamas, right? You support UNWRA and Hamas, right?” Kennedy asked.

Berry said: “I find it extremely disappointing that you would stand before an Arab-American witness and say, ‘You support Hamas.’ I do not support Hamas.”

Kennedy interrupted her again, saying, “You know what I find disappointing? You can’t bring yourself to say that you don’t support UNWRA, that you don’t support Hamas, that you don’t support Hezbollah, that you don’t support Iran. You should put your head in a bag.”

Kennedy’s comment stunned the audience.

After the exchange, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin asked Berry if she had anything else to say.

“It is unfortunate that as I sit here I am faced with the very problem we are trying to solve today,” she said.

“The introduction of foreign policy is not how we keep Arab Americans or Jewish Americans or Muslim Americans or Black Americans or Asian Americans, whoever, safe. This is unfortunately a real disappointment, but it is an indication of the danger to our democratic institutions.”

Durbin, a Democrat, was among those who criticized Kennedy for his statements on social media.

“Political leaders must not fan the flames of hatred and division,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter“Jewish, Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian Americans *all* deserve safety.”

The Judiciary Committee endorsed Berry’s response by sharing it on X, writing: “A Republican senator told an Arab-American civil rights leader to ‘put your head in a bag.’ We will not amplify that horrible clip. But we WILL amplify the powerful response of the witness who raised it.”

Kennedy’s statements were heavily criticized by human rights and advocacy groups.

The Council on American Relations (CAIR) issued a statement condemning the treatment of Berry by Kennedy and others.

“Maya Berry went before the committee to discuss hate crimes. Both Ms. Berry and the issue should have been treated with the respect and seriousness they deserve,” said Robert McCaw, CAIR’s director of government affairs. “Instead, Senator Kennedy and others chose to exemplify the bigotry that Arabs, Palestinians and Muslims have faced in recent months and years.”

Sheila Katz, executive director of the National Council of Jewish Women, called Berry’s treatment “heartbreaking.”

The “sole Muslim witness was asked biased questions about her support for Hamas and Hezbollah, despite her clear condemnations,” Katz wrote on X. “This hearing should combat hate, not perpetuate it. The Senate must do better.”

Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the group condemned the “discriminatory and vicious attack” on Berry.

“Using a hearing on the disturbing rise in anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Semitic hate crimes to launch personal and discriminatory attacks against an expert witness they have invited to testify is both outrageous and inappropriate,” he said. “This kind of racist rhetoric should be widely condemned. It has no place in Congress, or in politics.”

Some demanded that Kennedy be censured.

“Arab, Muslim, Jewish and civil rights groups condemned @SenJohnKennedy’s blatant racist and defamatory attack on a witness yesterday,” said Dylan Williams, vice president of government affairs at the Center for International Policy. wrote on X.

“If he does not apologize today, he should be immediately reprimanded by his colleagues for his disgraceful behavior.”

Medea Benjamin, an activist and co-founder of human rights organization Code Pink, wrote that the hearing was “a disgrace. Instead of addressing anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian hatred, Senators like John Kennedy used it to spew hatred. He bullied witness Maya Berry and told her to ‘put her head in a bag.’ We demand accountability! The Senate must censure Senator Kennedy for this blatant display of Islamophobia!”

Journalist Mehdi Hasan argued that there would be more outrage if a Democratic senator made similar comments against a Jewish leader.

“Imagine, imagine, if a left-wing Dem senator had asked a Jewish leader testifying on anti-Semitism if they supported genocide, and then told them to put their head in a bag,” he wrote. “It would be a huge scandal. But it was a Republican and the person was Muslim.”