A strong turnout of organized protesters
caused Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to postpone one of his
signature rallies here Friday evening.
The event at the University of Illinois at Chicago
ended before the GOP frontrunner ever took the stage, but not before dozens of
people were pre-emptively removed from the venue by security. Pockets of
isolated confrontations could be seen as tensions ran high after the event was
called off, though no arrests were immediately reported.
If Trump was picking a fight by picking a school
known for its strong stances on civil and minority rights and large minority
student population, he almost got it. The response that emerged from the crowd
upon the announcement that Trump would be a no-show suggested that, for the
first time at one of these events, the amount of protesters might actually
outnumber supporters — despite efforts to cull dissenters from the ranks.
Yahoo News witnessed several ejections before the
event was called off, including that of two white male protesters who were
wearing T-shirts that read “Muslims United Against Trump” — scrawled in black
marker — on the back and “Say No to Hate” on the front.
While many individuals who were removed from the
venue had at least been vocal before being engaged by security, the two young
men were escorted out before apparently engaging in any disruptive
behavior.
The security guard who removed the two said it
wasn’t up to him who got kicked out, but that maintaining the safety of all in
attendance was his primary concern at the event.
“Last time I worked here, it was for an Isley
Brothers concert. As far as I’m concerned, I’m doing the same job,” the unnamed
guard told Yahoo News. “This is more interesting.”
Outside, Chicago police officers on horseback
corralled protesters behind barricades. Several cars drove by waving huge
Mexican flags as the neighborhood was energized by both protesters and
supporters, who were separated by a large law enforcement presence.
Undeterred by the evening’s setback, Trump
conducted several phone interviews with TV news outlets after the postponement,
crediting public frustration with the U.S. economic conditions for the open
defiance in Chicago — not any reflection of his campaign positions, rhetoric or
the ongoing complaints of how protesters have been handled at his events.
“Our businesses are being taken away from us, our
businesses are being moved out of the country,” Trump told Fox News’ Greta Van
Susteren. “This is a demonstration against economic conditions on both sides.”
Liberal activist organization MoveOn, which has
endorsed Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, claimed some responsibility for
organizing “student leaders who organized nonviolent protest against Trump’s
violence & hate.”
The behavior of those in the crowd suggests the
protest was carefully planned. Despite the effort of security to weed out
potential unrest in advance — Yahoo News witnessed a man in a gray suit wearing
a Trump pin approach a band of young and apparently Middle Eastern men and ask
them if they’d like Trump signs in an effort to establish their allegiance —
when the announcement of postponement was made, the arena largely went nuts.
UIC students and dozens of faculty had initially tried to get the rally canceled. When that didn’t work, protesters
planned to deliberately RSVP for tickets and show up to the
event, then stay quiet at first so as not to attract attention.
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