Trump calls off Chicago rally following violent clashes

Donald Trump has called off a rally in Chicago 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.

Inside the auditorium, fighting broke out between supporters and protesters, who waved flags and chanted.

A statement from Mr Trump's campaign said the candidate decided to postpone the event after meeting with police.

However, a Chicago Police Department spokesman said the force had not recommended that Mr Trump postpone the rally.

The clashes began more than an hour before the event was due to start, and continued after it was cancelled, minutes after Mr Trump was to have appeared.

There were chants for Mr Trump from his supporters and for Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders from some of the protesters.

There were several violent clashes sparked by Trump supporters attempting to wrestle flags from protesters.

One protester had to be physically removed from the stage by what appeared to be a Secret Service agent.

Violent clashes continued outside the venue, with helicopter footage showing chaotic scenes as police attempted to control the large crowds.

One protester, student Ali Alhechimi told the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper:

This is a victory. This is an absolute victory. I want to thank everyone who showed up.

The full statement from Mr Trump's campaign read:

Mr Trump just arrived in Chicago and after meeting with law enforcement has determined that 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.

Speaking to Fox News after the events, Mr Trump denied using hate speech or playing any part in fostering division.

I represent a large group of people that have a lot of anger,

he said.

There is tremendous anger out there on both sides.

Discussing the decision to cancel the rally, he said:

I think it was a very good thing we did, I think it was an intelligent decision.

Reply 1

MildredMalone

16

Why do Lefties always go straight to violence? How many Hilary or Berns events were cancelled by violent protestors.

Reply 2

username2434491

6

Don't worry - the PC Police are accepting of everybody, except those who don't share their views :h:

Reply 3

username1221160

19

So things get a little boisterous and the guy does a runner? He really needs to grow a spine I wants to be President.

It's comparable to the way he exploited the system the avoiding serving his country like a patriot.

Reply 4

ChaoticButterfly

20

Original post by MildredMalone

Why do Lefties always go straight to violence? How many Hilary or Berns events were cancelled by violent protestors.

We have a proud history. :colonhash:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cable_Street

[video="youtube;GzKv5gjOzTA"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzKv5gjOzTA[/video]

:proud:

Spoiler

We are loosing touch to be honest.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 5

queen-bee

19

I just saw. Wow the streets are packed! Love trumps hate!

Reply 6

queen-bee

19

Trump isn't so tough after all is he. When the going gets tough,the tough get going but in trumps case,he's afraid of confrontation

Reply 7

whorace

2

Far right and far left have lots of things in common, violence, hatred and theft.

Reply 8

ChaoticButterfly

20

Original post by Mathemagicien

Its ironic how similar the far left is to the far right

Because they both may employ protest and physical force? I don't really think that is what defines left/right to be honest. That's just a general human thing.

Reply 9

ChaoticButterfly

20

Original post by Mathemagicien

Because the far left is full of incredible hatred for right-of-centre people, pretty much the same intensity of hatred as the far right have for the groups they hate, and both far left and far right governments historically have acted very similarly, with regards to clamping down on freedom of expression etc., e.g. Soviet Union, Nazi Germany

and you can draw all that from some clash of protesters and atavists in america. Ok then.

Reply 10

TheGreatPumpkin

15

Original post by whorace

Far right and far left have lots of things in common, violence, hatred and theft.

Ideology is like the earth, move far enough west you will arrive in the Far East, if you are too liberal you may end up with a conservative country.

Reply 11

whorace

2

Original post by ChaoticButterfly

and you can draw all that from some clash of protesters and atavists in america. Ok then.

Absolutely, in the eyes of the far left politics and ethics are synonymous, if you disagree with me you are not just wrong, you are evil and need to be dealt with accordingly.

Reply 12

Longshot700

3

"Trump calls off Chicago rally following violent clashes by Gnomesandknights."

XD

Reply 13

Josb

6

Original post by queen-bee

Trump isn't so tough after all is he. When the going gets tough,the tough get going but in trumps case,he's afraid of confrontation

He should have encouraged his supporters to clash with the leftists to show he's tough?

Reply 14

ChaoticButterfly

20

Original post by whorace

Absolutely, in the eyes of the far left politics and ethics are synonymous, if you disagree with me you are not just wrong, you are evil and need to be dealt with accordingly.

What if you are centrist voter who really doesn't like racism and sees trump as racist and is willing to stand in a counter protest march and get physically violent? You don't need to be a communist to be violent. Where do you stand if you are a Kronstadt sailor rebelling against a Bolshevik government? Or a Spanish left wing partisan building a barricade on the streets of Barcelona against Stalinist government forces?

I don;t know whether you are joking or being hysterical but you are expressing some horseshoe qualities yourself there. I haven't done anything other than state an opinion on a student forum and you are calling for me to be dealt with. You sound like right little fascist. :s-smilie:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 15

ChaoticButterfly

20

This till seems relevant...

Yet underneath all this mess there does lie a kind of buried meaning. To begin with, it is clear that there are very great differences, some of them easy to point out and not easy to explain away, between the régimes called Fascist and those called democratic. Secondly, if ‘Fascist’ means ‘in sympathy with Hitler’, some of the accusations I have listed above are obviously very much more justified than others. Thirdly, even the people who recklessly fling the word ‘Fascist’ in every direction attach at any rate an emotional significance to it. By ‘Fascism’ they mean, roughly speaking, something cruel, unscrupulous, arrogant, obscurantist, anti-liberal and anti-working-class.

Except for the relatively small number of Fascist sympathizers, almost any English person would accept ‘bully’ as a synonym for ‘Fascist’. That is about as near to a definition as this much-abused word has come.But Fascism is also a political and economic system. Why, then, cannot we have a clear and generally accepted definition of it? Alas! we shall not get one — not yet, anyway. To say why would take too long, but basically it is because it is impossible to define Fascism satisfactorily without making admissions which neither the Fascists themselves, nor the Conservatives, nor Socialists of any colour, are willing to make. All one can do for the moment is to use the word with a certain amount of circumspection and not, as is usually done, degrade it to the level of a swearword. ~ Orwell

http://orwell.ru/library/articles/As_I_Please/english/efasc

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 16

ChaoticButterfly

20

Original post by MildredMalone

Why do Lefties always go straight to violence? How many Hilary or Berns events were cancelled by violent protestors.

Actually some black rights atavist hijacked the stage from Sanders at one point.

Reply 17

Howard

5

Original post by queen-bee

Trump isn't so tough after all is he. When the going gets tough,the tough get going but in trumps case,he's afraid of confrontation

You seem very proud of the fact that a politician electioneering in a democratic country has been forced to cancel a rally because of the disorder and violence of protesters who disagree with him.

In short, a rabble put a stop to free speech. If you think that's a good thing you need to give your head a shake.

Reply 18

whorace

2

Original post by ChaoticButterfly

This till seems relevant...

Yet underneath all this mess there does lie a kind of buried meaning. To begin with, it is clear that there are very great differences, some of them easy to point out and not easy to explain away, between the régimes called Fascist and those called democratic. Secondly, if ‘Fascist’ means ‘in sympathy with Hitler’, some of the accusations I have listed above are obviously very much more justified than others. Thirdly, even the people who recklessly fling the word ‘Fascist’ in every direction attach at any rate an emotional significance to it. By ‘Fascism’ they mean, roughly speaking, something cruel, unscrupulous, arrogant, obscurantist, anti-liberal and anti-working-class.

Except for the relatively small number of Fascist sympathizers, almost any English person would accept ‘bully’ as a synonym for ‘Fascist’. That is about as near to a definition as this much-abused word has come.But Fascism is also a political and economic system. Why, then, cannot we have a clear and generally accepted definition of it? Alas! we shall not get one — not yet, anyway. To say why would take too long, but basically it is because it is impossible to define Fascism satisfactorily without making admissions which neither the Fascists themselves, nor the Conservatives, nor Socialists of any colour, are willing to make. All one can do for the moment is to use the word with a certain amount of circumspection and not, as is usually done, degrade it to the level of a swearword. ~ Orwell

http://orwell.ru/library/articles/As_I_Please/english/efasc

What a fascist

Reply 19

MildredMalone

16