It's textbook for failing as a civil servant
She is paid with taxpayer money to work for all the people in her constituency.
If they had stormed her office and demanded she sign a petition, she'd have a point about respect. But she took the meeting. She acknowledged the issue was important. Then when they showed up, she was disgusted by their piercings-not the way they dressed.
I'm sure there are politicians who took meetings in the past, and when the people who showed up were black or Jewish or female, decided that they were being disrespected.
Respect is earned. It's not an entitlement. When your representatives start acting like they deserve to be treated like royalty, that's when you need to kick them hard in the butt.
At some point, you have to draw a line to avoid compromising away your central goals. But if you're so unwilling to present yourself as someone the other side can deal with
No no no nono! She is a public servant. Her job, paid for with tax money, is to represent and serve her district. She took the meeting-that means she thought it was worthwhile and not a waste of her time. She then kicked them out before she heard anything they said because of their appearance.
That is the disrespect. She had a duty to listen to them, even if she then disregarded everything they said b/c she didn't like what they looked at. She's the one violating the etiquette here, and she should be taken to task for it b/c she's a public servant.
If she worked for a private firm, your point of dressing to deal with them has more ground. But she's NOT in a private firm. SHE works for THEM.
If she votes for the legislation, that will mitigate things, but she still needs to be put in her place-that of respecting her constituency and not expecting to be treated like royalty b/c of her position.