Tucker Carlson is getting support from an unlikely source: the Left.
Voices from both sides of the aisle rushed to the defense of the Fox News host, a vocal supporter of the Trump administration and a lightning rod for his takes on immigration, after protesters gathered outside his home in Northwest D.C.
“I called my wife,” Carlson told The Washington Post in an interview. “She had been in the kitchen alone getting ready to go to dinner and she heard pounding on the front door and screaming... Someone started throwing himself against the front door and actually cracked the front door.”
The group behind the protest was reportedly Smash Racism D.C., which is known for other demonstrations against notable Republicans. In Twitter TWTR, -2.37% videos that have since been deleted, the group could be heard yelling, “We will fight! We know where you sleep at night” and accused Carlson of “promoting hate.”
Twitter has suspended the Smash Racism D.C. account.
Police say that about 20 people were involved, according to the Post. They blocked off both ends of Carlson’s street and carried signs listing his home address.
Here’s a snippet:
BREAKING:
A mob has gathered outside Tucker Carlson’s home demanding his family leave DC because he is a "racist scumbag."
"Every night you spread fear into homes — we remind you that you are not safe either"
Tucker has 4 children.
The Left is sick.https://t.co/rXs8pUmhxu pic.twitter.com/1R9O9UcTYM
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) November 8, 2018
“They weren’t protesting anything specific that I had said. They weren’t asking me to change anything,” Carlson said. “They weren’t protesting a policy or advocating for legislation... They were threatening me and my family and telling me to leave my own neighborhood in the city I grew up in.”
Before the account was suspended, a tweet from Smash Racism D.C. supported Carlson’s claim. “Tonight you’re reminded that we have a voice,” the tweet read. “Tonight, we remind you that you are not safe either.”
The protest was widely condemned across the social-media landscape, by both Carlson’s supporters as well as his longtime critics, who, in some cases, clearly had a tough time backing him.
Don’t like someone on TV? Turn it off, change channel, let their advertisers know, tweet them ur opinion. But come on, don’t show up at their home & scare their kids. -> “They were threatening me and my family’: Tucker Carlson’s home targeted by protesters https://t.co/IiOIUz0G1F
— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) November 8, 2018
Tucker Carlson is one of the most horrible people on the planet, but this is not the way to push back against him. https://t.co/JKnrvICZqc
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) November 8, 2018
What happened at @TuckerCarlson's house last night is outrageous and should be universally condemned. This is not how Americans should express their differences. https://t.co/OJSaktwnrK
— Sam Feist (@SamFeistCNN) November 8, 2018
This has to stop. Who are we? What are we becoming? @TuckerCarlson is tough & can handle a lot, but he does not deserve this. His family does not deserve this. It’s stomach-turning. https://t.co/5vOmriGKkV
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) November 8, 2018
I think Tucker is a terrible influence on modern America but that doesn’t justify harassing him at home. Go high, not low. https://t.co/LR5ZKLNRAP
— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) November 8, 2018
Anyone who went to @TuckerCarlson house to protest/scare family, STOP IT. I don't CARE if you don't like him or think whatever. This behavior is beneath despicable. Tucker fans have been relentless in death threats on me and one is indicted for assault on me. Don't mimic them.
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) November 8, 2018
As for Carlson, he says he doesn’t want to move from the neighborhood, but he’s also worried about leaving his family home alone.
“How can you go out for dinner and leave the kids at home at this point?” he told the Post. “If they’re talking about pipe bombs... how do you live like that?”
