Fights broke out between protesters and supporters of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday twice before and after the Republican spoke at a rally in San Jose, California.
Hundreds of angry protesters holding Mexican flags, chanted anti-Trump slogans and burned Trump hats in addition to at least one American flag outside of the rally, where Trump, to the delight of his supporters, vowed to stop illegal drugs from coming into the United States from the south, to build a wall on the U.S. border and have Mexico pay the bill.
“We are going to build that wall, don’t even think about it,” he said gave two thumbs up as his supporters chanted “build that wall.”
Such protests are not new outside rallies for Trump, the party’s presumptive nominee, who has polarized opinion with his speeches against illegal immigration. For instance, in March he had to abandon a rally in Chicago following a clashes between his supporters and protesters.
“Violence against supporters of any candidate has no place in this election,” John Podesta, the Clinton campaign chairman, wrote on Twitter in response to the clashes.
Footage also showed a woman wearing a Trump jersey being pelted with eggs and food as she entered the rally while in another video clip, a Trump supporter was seen bleeding from the side of his head.
It is unclear if arrests were made as San Jose police officials were unavailable for comment.