Ron Paul Iowa Event Interrupted By Occupy Protesters

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Some 20 protesters interrupted the start of a Ron Paul event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds just as the GOP candidate and Texas Representative began to speak, at about 7:30 p.m. local time.

"Ron Paul, why do you hate gays," Heaven Ryan, 16, shouted. "Why do you hate the 99 percent?"

Ryan, her mother, Heather, 39, and a man in his 20s shouted from a prepared script until their words were drowned out by the crowd of about 750, some of whom menacingly surrounded the protesters and then hustled them out.

"Freedom of speech, ain't it wonderful?" Paul said.

The protesters continued to yell near the back of the room, while a few Paul supporters stood to yell back. A staffer stood between them, asking Paul's supporters to ignore the group and remain calm. John Kurr, a 49-year-old Paul supporter, tried to reason with the Occupy group, saying the candidate is for the 99 percent.

"He's not for the corporate people, he's for the little guy," Kurr told HuffPost. "He's for everybody. He's not for Wall Street."

Some Occupy protesters agreed. As Kurr spoke to the group, one woman said she supports Paul. Another protester, 28-year-old Des Moines resident Clarke Davidson, told HuffPost he also likes Paul, but wanted to stand in solidarity with his fellow Occupiers.

Later in the event, Davidson ran toward the front of the auditorium waving a sign that said "End the Fed" and started a chant of the same.

Earlier, when Heaven was being rushed out of the auditorium, HuffPost asked her for her script. She handed it over with a wan smile.

Here is what she had shouted:

"Ron Paul

You say you want to repeal Roe v Wade.

What makes you think the state has the right to control a woman's reproductive decisions?

You say you want every child to have a chance to live. How will those children eat when you eliminate essential programs like WIC and food assistance?

Where will those children live when you eliminate subsidized housing?

How will those children receive healthcare when you eliminate Medicaid?

How will those children get an education when you eliminate student aid?

Mr. Paul, you do not care about the children of the 99 percent. You do not care about the rights of women. You are a servant of the Patriarchy. You are a servant of the 1 percent."

This article has been updated with comments from more protesters.

Comments

[spyker1]

01:22 AM on 07/23/2012

Ron Paul 2012

[stloon2]

11:58 PM on 12/30/2011

Ron Paul 2012!!

[Hufrelief]

04:41 AM on 12/30/2011

The media crosses the line all the time in creating news, or throwing out feelers to see if a story catches on. That sets a dangerous president. We are in a nation of tremendous freedoms. That we all must preserve constantly. Ron Paul says allot of truths while hiding certain truths, that also sets a potential dangerous president. Case in point, the young singing star Kelly Clarkson. She has a beautiful voice, but perhaps a not so developed mind politically. She has the right to vote for who she wants to, and to speak her mind. That freedom is only preserved by responsible, balanced thought, respect, care, and voting by all Americans for Democracy. When we fail to utilize that process of the stewardship of Democracy. We will loose Democracy, and elect irresponsible individuals in positions of political leadership. Voting is more serious than just an act of freedom. It is a great responsibility to maintain freedom for all of us in this nation. Most of us love animals but we do not elect them to political leadership. Choose wisely who you vote into office. Just because you like a person running for office. Does not mean they are the right person for the job. It is more to it than that to keep our freedoms intact.

[mario59]

11:50 PM on 12/29/2011

Didn't we already have our reckless adventure with libertaria­nism and the financial markets, helmed by Alan Greenspan and enabled by the likes of Phil Gramm? To think that it follows that what is necessarily good for me will automatically be good for all is quite a leap in logic especially when we apply that notion to the allocation of resources.

Libertarians have it backwards when it comes to regulations. Government regulations did not appear out of a vacuum. They were often the result of people permanently and horrifically injured, maimed, financially harmed or even negligently killed because trust was misplaced and/or betrayed. LIbertarians like to lean on the crutch of a few bad actors, but I can tell you this. If left to their own devices, a pervasive belief among business people takes root "well, everyone else is getting away with XYZ so why not me?"

[starstruckcynic]

01:48 AM on 12/30/2011

to make one example - why should the federal government have to send its own force to enforce beef safety regulations that should be enforced by the state? The federal government has wider scope issues to deal with such as foreign policy and national defense

[mario59]

08:17 AM on 12/30/2011

What? 50 different setd of beef regulations? Not only that, the states would fall all over themselves touting who could be the most business friendly climate to create the most jobs.... the problem would be the jobs would dry up rather quickly as consumers would quit buying the meat as they no longer trusted the quality of the product. If libertarians could demonstrate that a business's bottom line AND delivering the safest product always worked together instead of in opposition, you might have a point.

[tominnyc]

08:28 PM on 12/29/2011

Thank you wiki for having the issues to consider on this father of Rand Paul:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Ron_Paul

[ShanaJuly]

07:49 PM on 12/29/2011

I assure you folks I know enough about Ron Paul to know I would never, ever vote for him. He does not represent my best interests.

As a person of color who would be harmed by Ron Paul's vision of America, I don't have any reason to ever support him.

Why does Ron Paul want to be President of a country he wants to destroy by doing away with the government he knows d@mn well he cannot do away with by himself. Loooooney...

I don't care how educated and open minded his supporters are supposed to be a country with no government intervention in anything is ridiculous.

[woodsjs]

11:00 PM on 12/29/2011

Federal government would be limited, but your state government will be able to do a lot that federal government took over... Why can't your state government be the one to look out for you. There is such a fear people are showing in their state. What's the point of governing at a state level then...

[Julie Baker Morse]

11:14 PM on 12/29/2011

Please feel free to explain how you, as a person of color, would be harmed by Paul's proposed policies. Please feel free to explain how you, as an American, would be harmed by Paul's vision. I am genuinely curious, because this is not what I see.

The actions of the Federal Reserve disproportionately injured people of color and the poor; Ron Paul wants to change or eliminate their ability to make our money worth less on a whim, especially important to those of us who may have less of it than others.

Ron Paul respects our Constitution and loves our country. If his policies were implemented, we would all be better able to provide for ourselves, without having to rely on our government. More, Paul would allow for a gradual transition, so as not to harm the people who HAVE been forced to rely on these programs. He's not advocating no intervention in anything; he's advocating the return of powers from the bloated federal government to the states, giving individuals much more of a say in their own governing and laws. He's advocating that we cut the massive "defense" budget and mind our own business, except where we need to defend ourselves; those funds could then remain with the people that earned them. And he advocates linking our currency to something with value of its own, so the Fed cannot make our dollars worth less whenever they like.

[NoPartyCharlie]

06:56 PM on 12/29/2011

The OWS people that came to that event which apparently was not a lot of them ( thus not representing the whole) seem to be confused. Ron Paul's audit of the fed bill ( written with Sanders), showed that Ben Bernake and the fed board members ( Remember horrid Herman Cain used to be one) took 16 trillion taxpayer dollars and gave it to offshore private investors and banks. Ron Paul wants sound money so that wallstreet cannot continue its greed knowing that if they fail they will be backed up by printing money. But this article is funny because it says they protested with a script, and then at the end says that half of them were Ron Paul supporters.

[CeltGunn1970]

11:54 PM on 12/30/2011

The irony of that wasn't lost on me either NoPartyCharlie. Made me chuckle too. I had to wonder about that... Why protest, if you are a supporter of his? Just seems like you're shooting yourself in the foot really.

[steve2530]

03:28 PM on 12/29/2011

All of the negitivty on here so sad. He is a doctor he is in his 70s, he has made his money in the medical field. Ron is running for love of country, wake up people he is only one of the few in D/C that isnt and cant be bought. Think for once and stop letting the media pick our President !!! This mess has been going on for 30 years its both partys PERIOD !!!!

[miketothad]

03:31 PM on 12/29/2011

Ron Paul is a Republican, and if I voted for him, I'd be letting hate, ignorance and Wall St. pick our President.

[Brooklyn Red Leg]

03:44 PM on 12/29/2011

Wall Street? Newsflash, smartguy, our current President is known as The Man from Goldman-Sachs. Perhaps the ignorance you fear eminates from yourself instead?

[Julie Baker Morse]

11:22 PM on 12/29/2011

If you voted for Obama, you already have. What's your point?

Goldman-Sachs lived up to its reputation in becoming Obama's #2 overall 2008 campaign donor, and they were joined by at least 4 other Wall Street players on his top twenty. The Democrats get almost as much money from Wall Street as the GOP. Wall Street tends to hedge its bets in matters of election just as they do in everything else.

Ron Paul is different; his campaign cash comes mostly from small, individual contributions, and more military service men and women support him [financially, too] and his proposed foreign policies than they do any other candidate.

[Yikes11]

03:22 PM on 12/29/2011

The paulistas and teacons are rampant today. I'll check back later when they're summoned by their master to a cult, oops I mean information gathering session. Later dudes/dudettes.

[Julie Baker Morse]

11:29 PM on 12/29/2011

We have to gather our own information; our data indicates that it's a really stupid idea to allow the media to tell us what to think when that goes against all fact and reason. ;)

[BeautifulOnDaOutside]

11:28 AM on 12/31/2011

There are liberal blogs where you never have to read anything that disagrees with your public school indoctrination. Maybe you would be happier on one of them.

[sarahfigueroa207]

02:50 PM on 12/29/2011

I dont think I can stand one more comment along the lines of " if everyone is attacking Ron Paul and thinks hes wrong then he must be right and Im voting for him". That has the most ridiculous thing Ive heard being repeated over and over on post about RP.

[JMKeynes]

02:58 PM on 12/29/2011

fanned / faved.
I hear you but I must confess that I've taunted conservatives a few times by telling them that if he bothered them that much it was reason enough to vote for him. I think that's different though and it reflects my off-kilter humor. When a Paulista says it, they're dead serious.

[JMKeynes]

02:59 PM on 12/29/2011

CORRECTION: My post should have said

I must confess that I've taunted conservati­ves a few times by telling them that if OBAMA bothered them that much it was reason enough to vote for him

[patters85]

03:50 PM on 12/29/2011

For a minute I thought that you were insane. Then you saved yourself. Good! Obama 2012.

[Richard Mongler]

02:47 PM on 12/29/2011

Despite what the shrill fanatics whom are woefully ignorant of his positions my say; Ron Paul is (principally speaking) the closest thing to both the OWS and the Tea Party movements that the american people could ever have in the white house and he has the voting record to prove it.

A vote for Obama or Romney is a vote for more deadly and cost prohibitive foreign interventionism/expansionism, internet regulations (SOPA), the NDAA and more. Make no mistake: though they may differ on (imho) comically irreverent social issues; when it comes to the economy and foreign policy they are both dedicated to serving special, often monied, interests and sticking you with the bill.

We don't need WWIII and we don't need Robomney to take us there. Ron "Freakin'!" Paul 2012!

[Brooklyn Red Leg]

03:45 PM on 12/29/2011

Fanned and fave! So true!

[DRouss3977]

02:43 PM on 12/29/2011

Yo gotta love it! You go, Occupy! Give the 1%ers a hard time. The right wingnuts deserve the hard questions. The problem is, however, they never have logical or proven answer to America's problems.

[Julie Baker Morse]

11:39 PM on 12/29/2011

Yeah, "trickle-down" economics work sooo well in a for-profit society. Or did you mean answers proven NOT to work?

[freemancoulbary]

02:39 PM on 12/29/2011

Does Ron Paul really hate Occupy? Does he really hate gays and blacks? Blogger reasons why not. Ron Paul bridges Occupy & Tea Party:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/ron-paul-beyond-the-racist-newsletters/2011/12/28/gIQAFtdVOP_blog.html

[2008FedUP]

02:20 PM on 12/29/2011

A real life Jed Clampett he is.

[patters85]

04:09 PM on 12/29/2011

Jed was country smart. Paul is cccccccountry.......ssssstupppidddd!

[JustinChase]

04:37 PM on 12/29/2011

I love all you anti-Paul people. Such thoughtful and intelligent responses. It makes me wonder what I'm doing voting for a kook like Ron Paul.

Seriously, naming calling is the only tool you guys consistently defer to. If only you could add to the conversation by actually outlining your complaints and grievances with the guy, we might actually have a constructive debate - but no, name calling it is.

I'm not trying to persuade you one way or the other, but I do want to tell you how ridiculous you all look when you offer nothing of substance in your criticisms.

[The Corporate Champion]

02:15 PM on 12/29/2011

The entitlement mentality crowd certainly loves to come off as little children when they disrupt events.

[stloon2]

11:50 PM on 12/30/2011

Add "little children" to long list of lies the trendy's make up about people.

[twoangels]

02:40 PM on 12/29/2011

These are the ones I an calling the de/generation. They are lazy, they are envious and they all think they are entitled to everything others worked for. I would suggest it for them if they don't like Capitalism, and Wall Street to relocate into North Korea and even Cuba. North Korea is a real Socialist/Communist Country. That is what they like. No one is holding them here.

[Tom Airhart]

02:53 PM on 12/29/2011

Did it ever occur to you that they, the OWS folks are not lazy as you say they are and that they also enjoy freedom of speech every bit as much as you do, or at least as you suggest you do. It also sounds like you enjoy freedom of speech for folks who agree with you but not for those who don't. That's a shame. Hearing those words like "Socialist" and "Communist" are such tired old words that have long outlived the original luster they claimed to have had. Try something new and original

[Julie Baker Morse]

11:47 PM on 12/29/2011

We don't have capitalism, we have corporatism. Corporations get to privatize profits while socializing expenses. Take a peep at Walmart, for instance; their profits, net worth of the Walton heirs. Then take a look at how many of their employees are paid so little that they qualify for taxpayer-funded government assistance programs. The burden of the expenses that rightfully belong to the corporation has been shifted instead to the American taxpayer. Obviously, it's not just Walmart, and pay isn't the only problem. Two-thirds of all large U.S. corporations pay ZERO federal income tax, despite making record profits and collecting billions in subsidies, according to the GAO. This is not capitalism, and it's not good for our country.