Hundreds protested the appearance of presidential candidate Donald Trump at AIPAC today.
Trump spoke at the Washington, D.C. conference around 6:30 p.m. local time. Hundreds of protestors stood outside the building, refusing to listen to Trump’s speech. Many held signs, including one that implicitly compared Trump to Hitler.
Strong sentiments outside #AIPAC2016 event at Verizon Center. @realDonaldTrump to speak at 545p pic.twitter.com/HG3WCcxb5y
— Suzanne Kennedy (@suzanekennedyTV) March 21, 2016
During his speech, Trump expressed strong pro-Israel sentiments. He said he would work to undo the nuclear deal with Iran. He detailed his plans for future relations between the United States and Israel. He received standing ovations from the audience.
Some critics of the conference called the crowd’s positive reaction proof that AIPAC is fundamentally flawed.
This crowd was supposed to be unfriendly to Trump. ROARING with applause as he slams Obama, who has very high approval rating w US Jews.
— Benjamin Silverstein (@bensilverstein) March 21, 2016
This Trump speech is a pretty good indication of how out of touch AIPAC is with the American Jewish community
— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) March 21, 2016
Many walked out as Trump spoke. They joined a group of rabbis leading a religious study outside. In total, both indoors and out, the protestors numbered into the hundreds. One protesting rabbi had to be carried out by security when he shouted once Trump took to the stage:
“Do not listen to this man. He is wicked. He inspires racists and bigots.”
He soon posted on Facebook about the experience:
“With every cell in my body I felt the obligation as a rabbi to declare his wickedness to the world.”
For days before Trump’s appearance, Jewish leaders had been planning their protests. One group, dubbed “Come Together Against Hate,” described themselves on their own Facebook page:
This is not about policies, this is not about parties. This is about one particular person, Donald Trump, who has encouraged and incited violence at his campaign rallies. We are against the hatred, the incitement of hatred, the ugliness that has engulfed this political season.
Shortly before Trump spoke, Hillary Clinton delivered a speech to the audience at AIPAC. She referenced Trump in her rhetoric, urging the audience to oppose him:
“If you see bigotry, oppose it. If you see violence, condemn it. If you see a bully, stand up to him.”
She also referenced Trump’s past refusal to disavow a former Ku Klux Klan member.
Notably, Trump has said he feels “neutral” regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Featured image by Micheal Vadon, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.
