Sanders Leaves Seattle Rally After Protesters Shut It Down

Protesters disrupted a rally for Democratic Party presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in Seattle on Saturday, August 8. A group of “Black Lives Matter” demonstrators jumped onto the stage after speeches by Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant and state Senator Pramila Jayapal.

When rally organizers allowed the protesters to speak, they said the biggest movement in the country is “Black Lives Matter” movement, according to KATU News. The protesters refused to allow Bernie Sanders to address the crowd, at which point the event was abruptly ended by rally organizers. Sanders shook hands with supporters as he left the venue.

The incident coincided with a weekend of events organized to commemorate the death of Michael Brown, a black Missouri teenager shot while unarmed in Ferguson. His death is widely considered to be the beginning of the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Credit: Andrew Schepers