Topless protesters disrupt Sanders rally in Nevada
Self-described ‘biggest supporter’ grabs mic, demands that Vermont senator ‘stop pumping up the dairy industry,’ as women covered in slogans pour liquid over their heads
Several women were escorted out of a Bernie Sanders rally in Nevada on Sunday after storming the stage topless and pouring red liquid on themselves out of milk containers.
One protester, who declared herself to be the Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful’s “biggest supporter,” rushed the stage and tried to grab a microphone out of his hand, demanding that he “stop pumping up the dairy industry and to stop pumping up animal agriculture.”
As security guards attempted to remove her, two other protesters, both of them topless, also rushed the stage and poured red liquid over their heads out of cardboard milk containers. The women had “dairy die” written on their bodies.
According to The New York Post, the protesters were angered by his support for federal subsidies for dairy farmers whose livelihoods were threatened by lowered milk prices.
WATCH: Bernie Sanders interrupted by topless protesters in Nevada pic.twitter.com/1z1fOVQxhJ
— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) February 17, 2020
“This is Nevada. There’s always a little excitement — at no extra cost. Except we have a lot of water on the stage,” Sanders quipped as the rally resumed.
This is not the first time that topless protesters have disrupted a Sanders rally. In March 2016, two protesters screaming “free the nipple” were arrested for baring their chests outside one of the candidate’s events in Los Angeles.
Sanders won last week’s New Hampshire primary and essentially tied for first place in Iowa with Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Sanders is hoping to notch a victory in Nevada on Saturday as moderates struggle to unite behind a candidate who could serve as a counter to the Vermont senator, who has long identified as a democratic socialist.
He made a strong bid for the Democratic nomination four years ago and has sustained his avid supporter base into this campaign. At one point last week, FiveThirtyEight, the leading forecaster of presidential politics, gave him a 1 in 2 chance of winning the nomination.
One of Sanders’s rivals in the Democratic primaries is former New York City Mayor and fellow Jew Mike Bloomberg. If either wins the primaries, he would be the first-ever Jewish presidential nominee.
The Times of Israel Community.