Presidential hopeful Kamala Harris was on-hand at the MoveOn forum this past weekend, answering some tough questions, when an animal rights activist all but assaulted her. Harris was about 10 minutes into her talk and was asked by moderator Stephanie Valencia about a proposal to reduce the gender pay gap.
Right on cue, a white male activist leaped up onto the stage and yanked the mic out of Harris’s hand. He argued, “We were protesting just a few minutes ago asking for your attention to a much bigger idea…”
Shortly after, the moderator tried to cut him off and security leaped onto the stage. The protester (I won’t name him because I feel it’d be adding to his undeserved 15 minutes of fame) resisted security; Harris’s husband, Douglas Emhoff, ended up ripping the mic out of his hands.
The protester was a member of “Direct Action Everywhere,” an animal rights group that has been working to shed light on factory farming. The group is also raising awareness about the link between climate change and factory farming. He claims that he targeted Harris because she’s California’s senator.
Still, many are noting the terrible, ironic optics that a white male protester silenced a woman of color while she was talking about the gender-pay gap. Harris wants to fine companies that do not pay people equitably. Only companies with a hundred or more employees would be targeted under Harris’s proposal.
While the protester was removed from the event, he has yet to be charged.