Bernie Sanders heckled by Black Lives Matter protesters

Updated
O'Malley and Sanders Interrupted by Black Lives Matter Protesters in Phoenix...
O'Malley and Sanders Interrupted by Black Lives Matter Protesters in Phoenix...


Over the weekend, presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley took to the stage in Pheonix, Arizona for a town-hall style forum.

What was supposed to be a fairly peaceful Netroots Nation Convention for liberal activists, turned chaotic when protestors from the Black Lives Matter group began heckling candidates during the forum.

The protests began during Martin O'Malley's speech, when a group of predominantly black female protesters entered the hall and began chanting slogans, like "black lives matter" and "save our men."

According to the Washington Post, the crowd erupted in boos after O'Malley retorted with: "Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter." In an interview later in the day, O'Malley said he regrets that statement.

Things went from bad to worse when Bernie Sanders took the stage. According to KESQ, Sanders refused to continue with the forum if the protesters continues to yell: "Black lives, of course, matter. I spent 50 years of my life fighting for civil rights and for dignity," he said. "But if you don't want me to be here, that's OK. I don't want to outscream people."

Here's a Vine from a convention attendee:
%vine-url="https://vine.co/v/e6KBAzL6n2P"%

To poke fun at Sanders' 'whiteness' and what they believe to be lack of empathy for black community, the Twitter hashtag #BernieSoBlack began trending:


More from AOL.com:
HIV testing now as easy as at-home pregnancy test
Muslims raise nearly $100,000 for burned black churches
Sundance film shows "unglamorous" side of being transgender

Advertisement