A video has emerged showing protesters crashing New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s family dinner at a local restaurant. The governor has been advocating for the families to limit their public outings for the holiday season.
The short clip, purportedly filmed at a restaurant in Asbury Park during the weekend, shows Murphy sharing a meal with at least five other people, apparently his family.
WATCH: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is confronted while having dinner with his maskless family. pic.twitter.com/UvQl1t2Uvb
The moment the video starts, none from the group, including Murphy, can be seen wearing masks, which are, however, not mandatory while eating or drinking.
Protesters behind the camera hurl insults at Murphy, calling him “a d*ck” and other names. As a member of Murphy’s party asks the female protester if she is drunk and tells her to put a mask on, she retorts: “You can go f*ck yourself. You know why I don’t need a mask? There’s nothing f*cking wrong with me.”
As the exchange gets heated, Murphy and at least one member of his party can be seen putting masks on.
While some have responded to the clip by labelling the governor - a staunch proponent of social-distancing measures - a hypocrite, others argued that no policy disagreement warrants intruding on a private dinner party.
Look at the comments. They want to defend him eating without a mask while he shuts down hard working American small businesses throughout his state...the hypocrisy stinks to the high heavens.
New Jersey Republican Senator Declan J. O'Scanlon denounced the stunt as “totally out of line and out of bounds,” suggesting to cut Murphy and those weary of coronavirus restrictions “some slack.”
This is totally out of line&out of bounds. Criticizing policy,heated debate -in the public arena - is all ok. But harassment of anyone while w/family, on private time is not acceptable. We’re all sick &tired of this mess. @GovMurphy too, trust me..let’s cut each other some slack. https://t.co/DV3urQh6b2
The governor’s family outing comes several days after he urged residents to stay vigilant when venturing outside, citing a spike in coronavirus cases.
“Don’t go outside your [family] bubble and make sure that’s a small number,” Murphy told CNN on Thursday, when speaking about looming Thanksgiving celebrations.
“That’s behavior we need right now, not just for next Thursday ... but for the next couple of months,” he added. The governor as well as local health officials have pointed at indoor gatherings as the main source behind the growing number of cases, urging everybody to take responsibility for “bending the curve.”
On Wednesday, Murphy did not rule out that police may have to intervene if people don’t comply with a 10-person limit at Thanksgiving parties, saying that it would be the last resort.
“They will be there. That is a real threat. But we’ve got to do this ourselves,” he noted.
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