‘We have got to defeat Donald Trump and elect Clinton,’ Sanders says – but protesters boo and express anger in Philadelphia over the leaked DNC emails

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Bernie Sanders supporters adopted one of Donald Trump’s attack lines against Hillary Clinton at the opening of the Democratic national convention on Monday, chanting “lock her up” at protests in downtown Philadelphia.



Around 200 people were gathered at Philadelphia City Hall at noon, ahead of a planned march through the city. Most of the crowd were Sanders supporters, who voiced their anger at the leaked Democratic National Committee emails that showed behind-the-scenes support for Clinton during the Democratic primary.

“Lock her up, lock her up,” protesters chanted repeatedly. Many were carrying anti-Clinton banners, drawing attention to both the recent WikiLeaks disclosures and her own use of a private email server while secretary of state.

Wasserman Schultz booed at DNC as FBI announces inquiry into email hack Read more

Trevor Minter, a 21-year-old bartender from Fort Worth, Texas, was among the dozens demanding the Democratic nominee be jailed.

“I feel like I’ve been cheated, I feel like my brothers and sisters have been cheated, and I feel like it’s all her fault,” Minter said.

He said he was dissatisfied with “all the classified emails she’s let out using her own servers and using her own personal email and then you have the WikiLeaks, all the going behind people’s backs”.

“Lock her up” is a favourite chant at Trump rallies, and could be heard throughout the GOP convention in Cleveland last week. The Republican nominee has branded Clinton “Crooked Hillary”.

The FBI investigated Clinton’s use of a private email server while in office, but decided against pressing charges at the beginning of July.

Mark Govea (@markempower) #lockherup chants at Philly City Hall for Bernie Sanders Rally and march against DNC. pic.twitter.com/reonUHLb0d

Minter said he was not concerned at using an attack line associated with Trump and his supporters.

“It’s been something that Trump’s been saying for a while but I honestly believe she should be indicted.”

Some supporters told the Guardian that the chant was not entirely spontaneous.

“Well, really it’s because a big truck with the sign ‘lock her up’ passed by,” said Sarah Hernandez, a 22-year-old chief marketing officer from Houston.

Minter, who had travelled with Hernandez to Philadelphia, pointed out that the truck actually had the message: “Hillary for prison.”

“Yes. It said: ‘Hillary for prison 2016’,” she said. “And someone started chanting: ‘Lock her up, lock her up’, and we all joined in.”

“Hillary for prison 2016” is a common message seen on pins and T-shirts at Republican rallies.

Adam Gabbatt (@adamgabbatt) Bernie Sanders supporters chant: "Lock her up" outside Philadelphia city hall https://t.co/ANA5CkybqJ

Tim Turner, 53, had travelled to Philadelphia from Indianapolis, Indiana. He had also noted the truck’s presence and was among those chanting.

“We just know that she’s not very honest,” he said.

“You know, I’ve never caught her in a criminal act. But I think she’s dirty.”

Like Minter, he did not mind using a line associated with Trump.

“No, I don’t mind it at all. He should be locked up as well. There’s a lot of people he owes money to. I think the same could go for him.”

Matt Schmidheiser, an 18-year-old student from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, was similarly emphatic.

“I think she does need to be locked up her along with the DNC chairwoman who just stepped down. Because they both just horribly mislead the American public and they spit lie after lie and nobody seems to care.”

Schmidheiser was carrying a homemade poster that catalogued Clinton’s alleged misdeeds. He had been a little late arriving at city hall and missed the chant.

“I wasn’t there for it but I would love to have been a part of it and I would love to start another,” he said.

“I think it’s accurate and I think she needs to be in prison for the rest of her life.”

Earlier Sanders himself seemed incapable of controlling some of his more passionate supporters, judging from the mood at a meeting of delegates at the Pennsylvania convention center.

Loud boos could be heard from within the closed-room meeting as the Vermont senator told them: “We have got to defeat Donald Trump and we have got to elect Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine … This is the world we live in.”

“Trump is a danger to the future of our country and must be defeated,” Sanders insisted. “I intend to do everything I can to see that he is defeated.”

At least a portion of his audience seemed unconvinced. Instead, a chant of “We want Bernie!” sparked up from a vocal group who are clearly not fully on board with the official message of Democratic party unity.

Sanders got much bigger cheers when he mentioned the resignation of the DNC chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, which he said “opens up the possibly of new leadership at the top of the Democratic party that will stand up for working people and will open up the doors of the party for those people who want real change”.

He also agreed with other speakers that the struggle, at least in terms of fighting for more progressive policies, goes on. “This campaign has been a fantastic beginning and from today onward we continue the fight,” concluded Sanders as delegates prepared to file out far less fired up than they had been when they came in.