Bernie Sanders Supporters Converge On DNC Convention In Philly To Protest Hillary Clinton And The ‘Rigged System’
Thousands of Bernie Sanders supporters marched to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to protest their own party on Monday. The Wikileaks email hacking scandal, which prompted the resignation of party chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, has sparked outrage by many liberals who now believe there is proof the primary was rigged in favor of Hillary Clinton.
The movement Bernie Sanders started does not appear to be slowing down just yet even though Hillary Clinton will become the Democratic Party’s official nominee later today. Sanders gave a lengthy speech endorsing Clinton during the opening night of the DNC convention in Philadelphia, but the protesters do not appear willing to cast a ballot for the former first lady.
A temporary wall erected around the DNC convention in Philly kept Bernie Sanders protesters away from the arena entrance, but it did not stop the registered Democrats from attempting to block the path of delegates, Fox News reports.
About the time the DNC convention was being called to order, hundreds of Sanders protesters were chest to chest with Philadelphia police officers at the barricade. Five of the protesters were reportedly arrested for jumping the barrier. Before the end of the day, approximately 55 Democratic Party protesters had been cited for disorderly conduct.
Large and vocal groups of protesters were predicted to converge upon the Republican National Convention last week to rally against Donald Trump, but the anticipated crowds never arrived. Philadelphia police estimated between 5,000 and 10,000 protesters attended rallies around the DNC convention on Sunday.
The angst from liberal protesters in Philly continued inside the hall as well. Loud boos were heard when Hillary Clinton’s name was mentioned at the opening of the gathering, the New York Times reports. Those assembled to chastise the party for allegedly rigging the primary hailed from all around the country.
Unity! Protesters hold sit-in outside DNC to block delegates from entering https://t.co/Kp2iZoA7TL
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 25, 2016
“How violating, how absolutely dehumanizing,” said Philly protester Amanda Sullivan, who traveled from Florida to make her voice heard. “For us, who have been watching the whole thing unfold, we already knew the system was rigged. It wasn’t a surprise. To us, it was ‘Do you believe us now?'”
Sullivan went on to claim she experienced voter suppression attempts when casting her ballot during the Democratic primary in Florida. She said she complained about the hard time she was given at the polls and even wrote a letter to party officials, but she never received a response.
“If we nominate Hillary, then she can continue to abuse her base. Every progressive idea we come up with they throw under the bus,” Pasu Tivorat, a protester from Sacramento, told reporters. “I’d rather watch the DNC burn.”
Many of the Philadelphia protesters at the convention said the Democratic Party was fractured and not unified like the establishment politicians at the podium would like America to believe.
The crowd was split on how they were going to vote in November. Some were switching to the Donald Trump camp, but others were going to vote for third party candidates. One thing unified all the protesters outside of the DNC Convention – the staunch unwillingness to cast a ballot for Hillary Clinton.
Quintin Lynch traveled from Oregon to protest Hillary Clinton’s nomination. Lynch is going to vote for Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate.
“We don’t stand a chance in h**l with Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. I was never about Bernie. He was a leader but not the leader of the movement,” Lynch also said when talking to reporters.
Do you think the loss of Bernie Sanders voters will hurt Hillary Clinton’s chances of beating Donald Trump in November?
[Photo by John Minchillo/AP Images]
