Hispanic Activists Demand SNL ‘Dump Trump’
Hispanic groups gathered in front of NBC’s headquarters at 30 Rock in New York City Wednesday night to protest Donald Trump‘s scheduled appearance on Saturday Night Live this weekend.
NBC, the network SNL appears on, ended its business relationship with Trump in June after the Republican presidential candidate called Mexican immigrants drug traffickers and rapists. (Trump’s television program, The Apprentice, aired on the network from 2004 to 2015.)
“At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values,” NBC said at the time.
On Wednesday evening, demonstrators holding “Dump Trump” signs chanted “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go.” At its peak, there were only about two dozen protesters rallying, but they were there representing a much larger contingent: more than 500,000 people who added their names to a petition demanding NBC rescind its invitation.
The protest, organized by the League of United Latin American Citizens, was supported by a number of other groups, including the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, America’s Voice, the Hispanic Organization of Latin Artists, the Justice League and the National Association Of Latino Independent Producers.
Earlier in the week, House Democratic Caucus chairman Xavier Becerra issued a statement telling NBC, “Racism isn’t funny and Trump’s degrading comments about the Latino community have no place on national television.”
The Californian congressman called it “alarming to see NBC ignore Trump’s record of hateful speech, from calling Mexican Americans rapists and murderers to vowing to build a wall on our southern border.”
NBC has, so far, ignored the calls from Latino activists, and the protests certainly don’t seem to be bothering Trump, who has said repeatedly that the protests are good for ratings. On CNN last month, Trump predicted his episode would be “highest-rated show in a long time.”
If the show does go forward, as it now appears it will, protestors have a contingency plan. The PAC DeportRacism.com has promised $5,000 to anyone in the studio audience this Saturday who shouts “Trump is racist” or “Deport racism.”