Cher Condemns Anti-Trump Violence In San Jose
Like many of her Hollywood counterparts, pop diva Cher is no fan of Donald Trump, but she took to Twitter late last night to denounce the violence that broke out at the Trump for president rally in San Jose.
Outraged at what she saw on TV as far as Trump fans being punched or egged amidst a crowd of several hundred Trump protesters outside the San Jose Convention Center, Cher told her 3 million Twitter followers in partially all caps that the anti-Trump “thugs” were “cowards no matter who they support.”
Heading into the key California primary on June 7, one that may or may not end the Bernie Sanders insurgent campaign for the Democrat nomination, Cher apparently backs Hillary Clinton for president.
In recent weeks on Twitter, Cher has characterized Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, as a “racist,” a “misogynist,” a “bully,” and a “creep” who is merely entertaining crowds with showmanship.
But in late April, well before the recent clashes, she also declared that “whatever you think re candidate Trump, no good comes from violence.”
In addition to harassment of Trump rallygoers, demonstrations at Trump rallies in San Jose and elsewhere have also reportedly featured protesters burning American flags and waving Mexican flags.
https://twitter.com/Timcast/status/738561162980134913
Some have charged that organizations allied with billionaire George Soros are paying the demonstrators to engage in lawlessness.
Watch: The moment a Trump supporter, surrounded by protesters, is egged in the face, hit by other food. pic.twitter.com/qYFdwJWvrS
— Jacob Rascon (@jacobabc13) June 3, 2016
Cops in San Jose “took a hands-off approach to the crowd,” according to BuzzFeed. “In some case, officers stood nearby as fighting and violence broke out.”
They made “a few arrests,” according to a press release.
JUST IN: Trump supporters being attacked, assaulted by protestors outside Trump rally in San Jose – @Jacobnbc https://t.co/l7Lrhd7b9a
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) June 3, 2016
The Washington Post painted a disturbing picture of the chaos last night in San Jose.
“Protests outside a Donald Trump rally in downtown San Jose spun out of control Thursday night when some demonstrators attacked the candidate’s supporters. Protesters jumped on cars, pelted Trump supporters with eggs and water balloons, snatched signs and stole ‘Make America Great’ hats off supporters’ heads before burning the hats and snapping selfies with the charred remains. Several people were caught on camera punching Trump supporters.”
Trump supporter just got caught in the middle. Some protesters attacking, others shouting for no violence pic.twitter.com/m0dpwFKYcg
— Nicky Woolf (@NickyWoolf) June 3, 2016
The mayor of the city suggested that Donald Trump himself was to blame, AP reported.
“San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, a Democrat and Hillary Clinton supporter, criticized Trump for coming to cities and igniting problems that local police departments had to deal with.”
He also praised the police for performing “admirably and professionally to contain acts of violence and protect individuals’ right to assemble, protest, and express their political views.”
Watching SOME Anti-Trump Protesters/Mob,BEATING UP PPL??SMASHING EGGS IN PPL FACES??LONE PPL,W/TRUMP HATS,GETTING?BEATEN OUT OF THEM??SO,NG?
— Cher (@cher) June 3, 2016
THUGS R COWARDS NO MATTER WHO THEY SUPPORT??PROTEST IS 2SHOW PPL YOUR POSITION/DREAMS??VIOLENCE NEGATES YOUR POSITION& SOILS YOUR DREAMS??
— Cher (@cher) June 3, 2016
Although Cher, 70, is a staunch Democrat, Cher’s late ex-husband and musical partner Sonny Bono (best known for their number one hit “I Got You Babe”) was a Republican Congressman from 1995 to 1998, representing a Los Angeles area district.
After he tragically died in a skiing accident, his then wife Mary Bono won election to serve out the remainder of his unfinished term, plus seven additional terms after that in her own right.
On social media, both the Clinton and Sanders campaigns also assailed the anti-Trump violence.
The head of the San Jose police union expressed disgust over the violence, and cops intended to review any cell phone video (of which there is obviously a quite a bit) they can get their hands as part of the investigation, the Los Angles Times explained.
In the aftermath of the protests, the San Jose police chief admitted that the police presence outside the venue was insufficient for the crowd.
https://twitter.com/JoshuaChavers/status/738673444762460161
“The violent behavior exhibited by some protestors last night was reprehensible, completely unacceptable and unrepresentative of our democracy and this City. We saw demonstrators behaving poorly and our officers clearing the streets as safely and expeditiously as possible. Officer safety and crowd control techniques are critical and cannot be abandoned when protestors scatter from area to area faster than the police lines can move,” Chief Eddie Garcia also said in a statement.
In a separate rally in Redding, California, today, Reuters reported that Donald Trump “described the previous night’s rally as ‘a love fest inside. No problems whatsoever.’ Then his supporters ‘walked out and they got accosted by a bunch of thugs.'”
[Photo by Chris Pizzello/AP]
