Advertisement

Donald Trump claims protesters are "shutting down the First Amendment"

Donald Trump has claimed the protest groups who disrupted a planned campaign rally in Chicago las...
Newstalk
Newstalk

15.41 12 Mar 2016


Share this article


Donald Trump claims protesters...

Donald Trump claims protesters are "shutting down the First Amendment"

Newstalk
Newstalk

15.41 12 Mar 2016


Share this article


Donald Trump has claimed the protest groups who disrupted a planned campaign rally in Chicago last night are "not good groups for the country".

Mr Trump called off the rally after protests against the Republican presidential front-runner led to violent clashes.

Hundreds of protesters gathered at the venue at the University of Illinois at Chicago hours before Mr Trump was due.

Advertisement

Trump campaign rallies have resumed as normal today, with thousands gathering in the Dayton suburb of Vandalia to support the Republican candidate. Another rally is scheduled for Cincinnati.

The Guardian reports that a number of secret agents rushed to the stage in Vandalia to prevent anybody reaching Mr Trump.

Meanwhile, the business mogul has taken to Twitter to criticise 'Clinton and Sanders people' for disrupting the Chicago rally:

Speaking to Fox News ahead of the Ohio rally, Mr Trump said "what [the protesters] are really doing is shutting down the First Amendment" - the amendment of the US Constitution guaranteeing freedom of speech and right to peaceful assembly.

Speaking about the protest groups, he said, "these are not good groups for the country... All of the signs were professionally made, you can see that". He added that 25,000 people had signed up to attend the cancelled rally.

"We've had so few protesters compared to the size of the rallies. We've had no injuries, no problems, until yesterday. This one was a total setup," Mr Trump argued.

University staff had petitioned administrators to cancel the rally, citing concerns about a "hostile and physically dangerous environment".

Announcing the cancellation, the Trump campaign said he met with law enforcement officials after arriving in Chicago.

The statement added: "For the safety of all of the tens of thousands of people that have gathered in and around the arena, tonight's rally will be postponed to another date.

"Thank you very much for your attendance and please go in peace."

However, Chicago police denied they were consulted and claimed they had the resources to cope.


Share this article


Read more about

News

Most Popular