Man with Nazi flag disrupts Bernie Sanders' rally

A man carrying a Nazi flag at a Bernie Sanders campaign rally in Arizona drew wide condemnation on Friday. In addition to Sanders himself, several Jewish American groups and his Democratic Party rival Joe Biden denounced the incident.

The man was seen with a flag carrying the swastika symbol at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday. He was removed from the premises by security.

Sanders addressed the incident at another rally on Friday. 

"I will simply say this, and I speak not only as a Jewish American, I think I can speak for the families of some 400,000 American troops who died fighting Nazism, fighting fascism. It is horrific. It is beyond disgusting to see that in the United States of America," he said.

"Beyond the pale"

Biden, who is also running to be the Democratic Party's nominee in the 2020 presidential election, condemned the act by tweeting, "Attacks like this against a man who could be the first Jewish President are disgusting and beyond the pale."

The Anti-Defamation League identified the protester as a resident of Glendale, Arizona. According to the ADL, he is "a self-described 'stunt activist' who has harassed a range of Jewish and Muslim organizations and events."

The American Jewish Committee also sent out a tweet saying Nazi symbols had no place in America.

"We can argue about which candidate should get the Dem nomination, but anti-Semitic acts have no place in this world," tweeted Steven Slugocki, chairman of the Maricopa County Democratic Party. "This is absolutely abhorrent."

Bernie Sanders has roots in Poland, where members of his extended family were killed by Nazis during the Holocaust in World War II. If elected, he would be the first Jewish president of the United States.

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