Secret Service swarms Bernie Sanders after animal-rights protesters rush stage

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

YouTube

Watch On

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up