Animal activists disrupt Sanders rally

Animal rights activists rushing the stage at a California rally by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders were stopped by Secret Service agents.

At least five animal rights activists rushed the stage as presidential candidate Bernie Sanders spoke at a rally in Oakland, California, video posted online shows.

The protesters were led away by several Secret Service agents before they were able to reach the Democrat, whose speech was briefly interrupted by the disturbance, a video posted by CNN showed.

A Secret Service agent rushed to Sanders' side, grabbed him and wrapped his arms around the presidential candidate during the ruckus.

"We don't get intimidated easily," said Sanders, as he resumed his speech.

Animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere claimed responsibility for the protest, saying in a statement that it hoped to persuade Sanders to take a tough stance against factory farms.

"Bernie Sanders claims to support the 'good' farms," activist Rachel Ziegler said in the statement. "But as our repeated investigations have shown, even the 'good' farms are horrific."

The organisation posted a video online showing at least five protesters being led away by security personnel after they climbed on to the stage on Monday.

Sanders, a US senator from Vermont, is running far behind Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination for the November 8 presidential election.

In March, a man stormed the stage as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump spoke in Vandalia, Ohio before being held by several agents.


Share
Published 31 May 2016 5:50pm
Updated 31 May 2016 8:54pm
Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world