After a Facebook event for Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz’s appearance in Gainesville today was posted, Bernie Sanders supporters began planning a protest.
Wasserman-Schultz, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee, is scheduled to attend a 7 p.m. volunteer training session at Gainesville Police headquarters, located at 545 NW Eighth Ave., according to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign website.
Many voters who had backed Sanders’ run for the presidency voiced outrage at the DNC email hack in July, which appeared to show that the committee attempted to undermine Sanders’ campaign against Clinton.
Grant Schwab, a 21-year-old UF political science senior, said he will join in the protest. He said he was upset that Alachua County for Hillary pulled the Facebook event page down and removed Wasserman-Schultz’s name, which he considered an attempt to suppress critics’ voices.
On Thursday morning, the event disappeared from the Gators 4 Hillary page, later replaced with an RSVP link where prospective volunteers can sign up for the event.
“She will still be there and, to the best of my knowledge, we will still be there to greet her,” Schwab said. “It’s important to be diplomatic and show her the courtesy that we were not shown.”
Jake Best, the president of Gators 4 Hillary, which is co-organizing the event, said he is aware of the protest and that there will be no added security.
“I would hope that no one would protest at this point,” he said. “It’s important not to protest her or what happened in the past and to work towards the future.”
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
