Protests Break Out at Donald Trump Rally in NC

ByJORDYN PHELPS ABCNews logo
Tuesday, March 15, 2016

HICKORY, NC -- Protesters disrupted Donald Trump's rally this afternoon in North Carolina several times.

One sustained interruption broke out here at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory as Trump discussed his plans to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. Protesters ripped off the Trump paraphernalia they had been wearing, chanting, "Stop the Hate!"

Supporters of the Republican front-runner booed the protest and chanted to drown out the interruption.

"Build the wall, build the wall," the audience chanted, before switching to "USA, USA!"

After another protest erupted, Trump told the audience, "Let him go. He'll go home to mom, and she'll be angry with him."

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was interviewing Trump onstage at the rally when the protests occurred.

All told, six people were arrested outside the rally, according to Hickory police.

Onstage, Trump shrugged off incidents of violence at his rallies, saying, "There's no violence."

"How many people have been hurt at our rallies? I think, like basically none, other than I guess maybe somebody got hit once or something. But there's no violence," he said, apparently referring to a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, during which an attendee allegedly punched a protester and was later arrested.

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