The parents whose boys were raped beg to differ.

(Daily Mail) — Hillary Clinton has risked a huge backlash after sympathising with those who rioted in support of the officials caught up in the Penn State ‘abuse’ scandal.

The Secretary of State said she could understand the ‘passion and emotion’ of the students who flooded the streets and overturned cars when they learned football head coach Joe Paterno had been fired.

She said that two members of her own family had gone to Penn State and made the team so she could appreciate their point of view.

Her poorly chosen comments are likely to enrage the families of the victims, who are still coming forward with fresh accusations.

Paterno was fired along with assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, who is accused of molesting boys over 15 years and raping one in the shower.

Coach Mike McQueary has also been suspended for allegedly failing to report what he knew to police for eight years.

When the scandal first broke earlier this month around 2,000 Penn State students took to the streets outside Paterno’s home just off campus in State College.

Amid shouts of ‘We want Joe back!’ they overturned a TV truck and flipped cars until police broke them up.