Campaign

Protesters rush stage during Biden’s Super Tuesday rally

by Rebecca Klar - 03/03/20 10:50 PM ET

Anti-dairy protesters rushed the stage during former Vice President Joe Biden’s Super Tuesday rally.

A woman chanting “let dairy die” was swiftly removed from the stage at the California event. Moments later a second protester stormed the stage. She was abruptly carried off by Biden campaign aide Symone Sanders.

Both protesters came within a couple of feet of Biden, raising concerns about security surrounding one of the top Democratic presidential candidates.

BREAKING: Protesters rush the stage toward Joe Biden during #SuperTuesday night speech; they were stopped by people near Biden. Biden is continuing with his speech. pic.twitter.com/Rj9qbWqYuK

— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) March 4, 2020

The protesters were from Direct Action Everywhere, a group opposed to the dairy industry that also interrupted a campaign rally for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in Nevada last month and an event with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Monday.

“Biden’s ties to the dairy industry and indifference to the suffering of farmed animals — something he basically never talks about — flies in the face of everything he claims to stand for,” a spokesperson from Direct Action Everywhere said in a statement Tuesday. “We’re asking him to stand with animal rights advocates, environmental activists, and ordinary citizens — and against the inherent violence of the dairy industry.”

The protesters interrupted Biden’s remarks after early Super Tuesday victories in states like Alabama, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

A spokesperson for the Biden campaign was not immediately available for comment in response to the protest.

Symone Sanders tweeted that she “broke a nail” after she was identified as tackling one of the protesters in video of Biden’s speech shared on Twitter.