‘Borat’ star Sacha Baron Cohen “infiltrated” a right-wing event and posed as a racist singer, but details surrounding the stunt suggest it was staged to make the crowd look more like willing participants than they actually were.
At a ‘March for Our Rights 3’ rally in Olympia, Washington, Baron Cohen dressed in overalls and donned a fake beard before making his way to a stage at the event, where he proceeded to sing about infecting people like Barack Obama and Dr. Anthony Fauci with the “Wuhan flu,” as well as chopping up journalists “like the Saudis do.”
While video from the performance appears to show at least some in the crowd singing along with Baron Cohen’s controversial lyrics, organizers behind the event have been quick to call the comedian out over his setup, which included using security guards to block people from stopping the performance or cutting off power to the stage.
“He came on stage disguised as the lead singer of the last band, singing a bunch of racist, hateful, disgusting s**t,” Yelm City Councilman James Blair posted on Facebook following the event. “His security blocked event organizers from getting him off the stage, or pulling power from the generator.”
Blair added that the crowd “turned” on the actor when they realized what he was singing, and the ‘Bruno’ star headed for a “waiting private ambulance” to escape when organizers found out who he was and managed to finally cut power to the stage.
Other video from the rally shows people in the crowd yelling that Baron Cohen is a “racist” and should leave.
Truth about @SachaBaronCohen instigating & inciting violence at the #MarchForOurRights rally in Olympia WA.#LibertyFirstpic.twitter.com/jOMMkDBD9W
Interviews with organizers of the event revealed that security personnel blocking access to the stage had to be “bum-rushed” to stop the performance, suggesting the crowd may not have been as behind the comedian’s rhetoric as liberals celebrating the comedian on social media would like to believe.
Organizers also accused Baron Cohen of possibly being a “last minute big donor” who helped pay for the event.
Someone spent little of money to try to crash the event. Well @gatlinbrothers contined on and we finished our event. Thanks for the publicity. Can’t wait for the video of me throwing Cohen off the stage. https://t.co/FebKCepxI8
The comedian has still received pats on the back from liberals on social media, applauding him for tricking “Nazis.”
“Balls out. This guy dares,” ‘The Wire’ creator David Simon tweeted.
“Sacha Baron Cohen plunked these Nazis so bad,” another user wrote.
Photos also appeared to show Baron Cohen returning to the rally in a different disguise later while interviews with organizers were being conducted.
SACHA BARON COHEN CAME BACK IN A DIFFERENT DISGUISE FOR THE INTERVIEWS OF THE ORGANIZERS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED. pic.twitter.com/o6Ywhsiuct
It’s not clear what motivated the ‘Borat’ star’s stunt, but some have suggested it could be part of a second season of ‘Who is America?’ a comedy series for Showtime in which the comedian tries to trick mostly conservative targets into saying or doing racist things while he is in various disguises.
The Washington Three Percenters are the group behind Saturday’s event. They have been accused of being an anti-government, right-wing militia group, though on their official website they describe themselves as “God fearing patriots” that “welcomes all races, nationalities, religious preferences, and lifestyle preferences.”
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