As Trump rallies in 2016 became more and more violent, lawsuits and arrests for violence became a regular part of the presidential campaign news stories. A young black woman in Louisville, Kentucky was shoved and spit on for walking through a crowd of Trump supporters outside of an event. A Black Lives Matter protester in Fayettesville, North Carolina was punched in the face while leaving an event. Trump promised to pay their legal bills. He didn’t.
Just attended my first @realDonaldTrump rally where my colleague BBC cameraman Rob Skeans was attacked by a Trump supporter. The crowd had been whipped up into a frenzy against the media by Trump and other speakers all night #TrumpElPaso pic.twitter.com/Oiw8osPms3
— Eleanor Montague (@EleanorMontague) February 12, 2019
At Trump’s Monday night “Finish the Wall” rally, the president’s supporters proved that Trump still has the power to whip up crowds into a violent frenzy when a BBC cameraman who was simply filming the event was attacked by a man yelling “f**k the media!”
The Daily Beast reports:
‘Footage of the incident shows the BBC’s Ron Skeans being shoved off balance before the man is pulled away by security while screaming “Fuck the media.” Trump supporters near the attack can be heard chanting “Leave him alone.” Skeans told the BBC the “very hard shove” came from his blindside and he “didn’t know what was going on.”’
A screaming Trump supporter in a MAGA hat attacked a BBC cameraman https://t.co/OtQRhAc3Nd
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) February 12, 2019
The rally attendee had to be dragged out of the event by security following his attack. The crowd of Trump’s supporters screamed at security, chanting “let him go!”
‘The reporter who was with Skeans, BBC Washington Editor Eleanor Montague, said: “The crowd had been whipped up into a frenzy against the media by Trump and other speakers all night.” A Trump campaign official suggested the attacker was drunk.’
A man was escorted from the media area at President Trump’s rally in El Paso, Texas, Monday night, after allegedly shoving journalists and pushing over camera equipment. pic.twitter.com/lwcEATrqwQ
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 12, 2019
Trump has perhaps learned something from earlier rallies, as he did at least check on the cameraman to ensure he was okay. Trump hasn’t learned enough, however, to tone down the rhetoric to keep people from getting hurt. Reporters say he had pumped up the crowd with talk about “fake news” prior to the attack.
‘The president reportedly checked Skeans was OK with a thumbs-up, and continued on with his speech after the cameraman returned the gesture.’
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
