Topless anti-dairy industry protesters interrupted Sen. Bernie Sanders as he spoke at a presidential campaign rally in Nevada on Sunday, The Hill reported.
Three topless women went on the stage where Sanders was speaking with the words “let dairy die” written on their chests, and then poured fake blood on themselves.
The protest started when Priya Sawhney of the animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere, who was not topless, crashed the stage soon after Sanders started speaking, took the microphone from him and said, “Bernie I’m your biggest supporter and I’m here to ask you to stop propping up the dairy industry and stop propping up animal agriculture.”
Sanders and his wife, Jane, walked off the stage as the protestors carried out their demonstration, according to the Daily Mail.
Security guards then went on stage and removed the topless women, after which Sanders resumed his speech, joking that “This is Nevada. There's always a little excitement - at no extra cost. Except we have a lot of water on the stage.”
Sawhney later issued a statement saying, “If Bernie truly cares about justice, he will stop propping up the dairy industry, which relies on the abuse of female cows,” adding that “we must hold abusive industries accountable, not shield and subsidize them. Animal farming is an industry which gives welfare payments to millionaires.”
The topless women were arrested for indecent exposure, while Sawhney was not taken into custody.