Donald Trump Supporters Clash Violently With Black Lives Matter Protesters
Donald Trump supporters recently fought Black Lives Matter protesters, and many videos of protests show riots, gun play, brawls, punches, forceful behavior, and posturing. Angry protesters and supporters are not backing down as violence accelerates. Trump has called for the arrest of angry protesters at his rally in Kansas City on Saturday, according to CNN. Pepper spray was deployed in Kansas City twice, and at least two arrests were made.
“I’m going to ask that you arrest them, I’ll file whatever charges you want. If they want to do this… we’re going to go strongly for your arrests…Once that starts happening, we’re not going to have any more protesters, folks,” Trump said.
Donald Trump canceled his Chicago rally to avoid a huge violent confrontation between supporters and Black Lives Matter supporters. Unfortunately, canceling the rally did not stop the brawl. At least one police officer was injured and five people were arrested, according to CNN. Automatic weapons were fired, and there were numerous physical altercations between protesters and supporters and attacks on police.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAJd2HOU5I8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW_wNGite3c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbPjPVGU5I4
Donald Trump has been blamed for violence in the wake of brawls between supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters at his rallies. Rachel Maddow says the rogue Republican has not discouraged the violence at all. She believes he is egging it on deliberately. Maddow has been highly critical of Donald’s attitude and says that is why his rallies are becoming increasingly violent. Has Trump been targeted by Black Lives Matter because of his so-called hate speech? Rachel Maddow blames Trump’s words and attitudes for violence at rallies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUzJ_aeRfaI
Donald Trump has not been singled out, though. Black Lives Matter have protested angrily and loudly at Hillary Clinton rallies and Bernie Sanders rallies. They have taken the stage and ranted at the political rallies of both of the leading Democrat candidates. When protesters yelled in his face and forcefully took the microphone, Bernie Sanders just let them have the stage and allowed himself to be forced off. The Raw Story reports that Sanders left his own event without speaking. While it is true that Sanders’ supporters did not become physically violent, they did chant and complain against the protesters. Hillary has had numerous incidents and has had protesters removed at times, although at other times she endures them.
If Donald Trump is not alone in being heckled by Black Lives Matter, then the presence of protesters could not be about his stand on the issues. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have been supportive of Black Lives Matter. Still, both have been targeted by protesters from the group.
Black Lives Matter at a Bernie Sanders Rally
Donald Trump has been perpetually harassed by Black Lives Matters. Hillary R. Clinton has tolerated some but not all of their protests, and Bernie Sanders “turned the other cheek.” He just abandoned the event, rather than fight with them. At the time, he did not appear to have adequate security to handle the situation if he had wanted to. Apparently, Bernie’s passive path may have satisfied the movement, however, Hillary and Donald continue to be tormented. For some reason, the other Republican candidates, Marko Rubio and Ted Cruz, have not been bothered by Black Lives Matter protests.
While Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have their parallels as outsider candidates, two things they do not share in common are temperament and image. The Donald could not bow out or back down if he was present. It just is not who he is, and if he had taken the action Bernie did, it would have been interpreted as cowardice and hypocrisy by his supporters. Bernie, on the other hand, is thought of as selfless pacifist, similar to Gandhi. It is not out of character for him to let someone else have the stage.
Donald Trump, tough image or not, did have to cancel his rally in Chicago, simply because the situation was too dangerous to inject a large crowd of his supporters into. Unfortunately, many of the tens of thousands of supporters were already inside the arena when they were told the event had been canceled, along with hundreds of protesters, as reported by CNN. Fist fights broke out both inside and outside the arena before people departed.
Donald Trump supporters do not take verbal abuse and attempt to take over their rallies. Many fight back and have shoved, yelled at, and even punched confrontational protesters in recent months. The Washington Post reports that John McGraw, 78, delivered a sucker punch to a young protester who walked past him ranting and making gestures at a North Carolina rally last week. McGraw has been charged with assault and disorderly conduct. Trump is currently looking into paying Mr. McGraw’s legal fees, according to the New York Times. He has said in many of his rallies that he would pay for supporters’ legal fees if they were arrested for dealing with protesters.
“I’ve actually instructed my people to look into it [paying John McGraw’s Legal Fees], yes,” he remarked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVEoJlcg8uk
Not all Donald Trump supporter vs. Black Lives Matter protester confrontations are violent, though. See this video of a young, black Republican supporter confronted by Black Lives Matter protesters. The supporter spoke up for his rights and his own feelings on the topic but did not resort to violence. The supporter shows restraint in the face of what could be described as harassment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI9MCvK2MGs
Donald Trump and his supporters are not going to tolerate protester disruptions, but Black Lives Matter protesters are equally determined to disrupt their rallies.
[Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images]
