The Red Substance an Anti-Vaxxer Threw on Several California Lawmakers Was Indeed Human Blood

In case you were wondering how things were going in the California Senate before the end of its legislative session, the answer is: not great! Turns out a red substance thrown onto several lawmakers last month by a woman protesting new legislation on vaccines was, in fact, human blood.

Rebecca Dalelio was arrested on assault and vandalism charges not long after she heaved the contents of a menstrual cup on at least six members of the state Senate, a move that was apparently in objection to a pair of bills signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom that would create new oversight of vaccine exemptions for schoolchildren. According to the Los Angeles Times, “A voice in the crowd said it was ‘for the dead babies’ as the contents of the cup were thrown onto lawmakers”:

“Senate officials immediately cleared the chamber and roped off the floor. Some lawmakers left to shower and at least one legislator was treated for blood exposure the next day.”

Dalelio was one of many anti-vaxxers at the state Senate decrying Senate Bills 276 and 714, which restrict when doctors can issue exemptions for vaccinations. Though California allows doctors to excuse children, temporarily or permanently, from some or all vaccinations if there is a medical reason, many protesters were hoping that Newsom would choose to loosen the guidelines, or veto the bills altogether.

In August, another anti-vaxxer attacked the bills’ author, Senator Richard Pan, shoving him from behind while he was on the street near the state Capitol.

The assailant, identified as Kenneth Austin Bennett, posted a video of the incident with the caption: “yes, I pushed Richard Pan for lying, laughing at us and for treason.” He added that if Pan “Got what he deserved he would be hanged for treason for assaulting children, for misrepresenting the truth.”