At a Bernie Sanders campaign rally in Oakland late Monday, five animal-rights activists jumped over the barricade and ran toward the stage, prompting two agents to jump on the platform and push Sanders away from the mic. Security dragged the protesters into nearby Oakland City Hall, and Sanders, looking more annoyed than frightened, returned to the mic and said, "We are not easily intimidated." Sanders campaign spokesman Michael Briggs said later that the interruption "was handled professionally by the Secret Service." The group, Direct Action Everywhere, said one of its protesters at the event had been "assaulted."
Why are animal-rights activists targeting Sanders? "His campaign has promoted itself based on this idea of progressivism and rejecting discrimination and inequality," member Zach Groff tells ABC News, "but when it comes to the animals in the United States and around the world, discrimination and violence is the name of the game every single day." Sanders "claims to be a progressive, but you cannot be a progressive if you oppose animal rights," Groff added. Another Direct Action Everywhere organizer, Aidan Cook, explained that "Sanders claims to oppose 'factory farming,' but what he hides is that virtually all farms in the United States, including farms he supports, are essentially factory farms." You can watch the drama below. Peter Weber
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