A graphic video is circulating the web, showing an apparently white Trump supporter sucker punching a black protester at a Trump rally. The incident occurred in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The protesters were being escorted out of Crown Coliseum after allegedly disrupting the rally.
The protester involved appears to flip off the crowd, and then moments later an apparently white man, with a pony tail, approaches the protester and sucker punches him. It does not appear that the protester who was struck said or did anything directly to the man who threw the punch. The incident can be viewed here (warning: video is somewhat graphic):
The protesters were being escorted by several police officers. Instead of intervening to protect the protester and detain the assailant, however, the Cumberland County officers subdued the protester.
Talking to the Washington Post, Rakeem Jones, the man who was struck, said the punch came out of nowhere, and went on to say:
“Boom, he caught me. After I get it, before I could even gain my thoughts, I’m on the ground getting escorted out. Now I’m waking up this morning looking at the news and seeing me getting hit again.”
Numerous other violent clashes have already occurred at Trump rallies. With American politics becoming increasingly polarized, violent outbursts appear to be becoming all the more frequent. This is especially true for Trump, who has used strong rhetoric that some allege is both racist and prone to inciting violence, to rally support among Republicans who have grown tired of the GOP establishment.
