Juan Williams: Don’t Mock Trump Protesters As ‘Oh, They’re Violent,’ Violence Is ‘Secondary Issue

On Friday’s broadcast of “The Five,” Juan Williams, a Fox News Analyst and Columnist for The Hill, criticized mocking the protesters at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s events in California, as “oh, they’re violent, they don’t have jobs, or they’re crazy students,” and that violence at the protests is “a secondary issue a secondary issue to the idea that there’s a larger issue about illegal immigration in this country, and how we treat and deal with immigration reform.”

Williams said, [relevant remarks begin around 4:05] “To me, here’s a consistent pattern of violence at many Trump events, and people have real reason to be angry at Donald Trump, high-levels of disaffection. This is specifically about the immigration issue. Most of these protesters, it looks to me, are people carrying the Mexican flag, from what I can see, and saying that they don’t like Donald Trump’s attitude about immigrants, especially illegal immigrants. Inside, he’s meeting with people whose relatives were killed by illegal immigrants. So, what you have here is two dynamic political forces in American society. And I think for you to mock these people as, oh, they’re violent, they don’t have jobs, or they’re crazy students, you know what, people have a legitimate right to protest.”

After fellow panelist Eric Bolling objected that people have a right to protest peacefully, not violently, Williams responded, “Oh, please, that’s a secondary issue to the idea that there’s a larger issue about illegal immigration in this country, and how we treat and deal with immigration reform.”

He later added that he thinks “legitimate protest” is fine, while violence isn’t. Williams further voiced his objection to mocking the protesters, saying, “[T]o some degree, you could say people who take the time to be heard, when they sense that there’s a demagogue at work, and that their relatives and friends and community are being demonized to the world, these people are standing up.”

Williams further stated that he didn’t have a problem with protesters waving Mexican flags.

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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