Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was speaking at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, when a man unfurled a Nazi flag above stage right. Later in the event, two others attempted to unfurl pro-Trump flags.
The Nazi flag was ripped away almost immediately by irate Sanders supporters at the event in the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix on Thursday evening. Eyewitness footage shows the crowd reacting quickly and forcibly to the appalling act. Were he to be elected, Sanders would become the first Jewish president of the United States.
The white man in a white t-shirt who was responsible for the incident was unceremoniously kicked out of the event and he was recorded racially abusing Bernie supporters outside the arena a short time later.
The stunt was made particularly egregious by the fact that the Vermont senator lost relatives in the Holocaust. Sanders did not notice the flag during the event, but was informed afterwards, and was reportedly “disturbed by it,” according to campaign spokesman Mike Casca.
To add insult to injury, later in the rally, several people attempted to unfurl pro-Trump flags but were thwarted by police and security, clearly on high alert after the Nazi flag incident.
Sanders appeared to be the favorite to win the Democratic nomination mere days ago, but is now facing more of an uphill battle following major wins for rival and former vice president Joe Biden, who surpassed him in total number of delegates. The Arizona primary will take place in nine days.
Neither Joe Biden nor Bernie Sanders have yet requested Secret Service protection while on the campaign trail. It is automatically assigned 120 days before the general election, but candidates must request earlier access from the Department of Homeland Security, as Donald Trump reportedly did in 2015.
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