Climate protesters disrupt Ramaswamy town hall in Iowa

Climate protesters continue appearing on the campaign trail in Iowa, this time disrupting a town hall Friday night held by Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. 

At least six protesters were spotted attempting to shout down the biotech entrepreneur at an event in West Des Moines, some of them holding signs that read “Vivek: Climate Criminal.”

“The planet is on fire!” the protesters chanted. Others shouted “Vivek is a liar!”

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Climate protesters were spotted disrupting a Ramaswamy town hall in West Des Moines, IA.  (Screenshots/Adam Wren)

In another video, Ramaswamy is seen engaging with the hostile attendees, clashing with them after they claimed he receives money from fossil fuels, which he denied.

One of them exclaimed “You say you care about our future and that little girl’s future- how much money would it cost for you to actually care about us.”

“If you want to have a seat and we can have a respectful discussion, we can do that,” Ramaswamy said. 

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The disruptive protesters were eventually forced out of the event after Ramaswamy repeatedly pleaded for them to have a “respectful discussion.”

Ramaswamy spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital, “A good way to tell whether you actually care about free speech principles: flip-flop which side is using the tactic you don’t like, and see if you feel the same way,” adding “Vivek is a free speech absolutist.”

GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is hoping to exceed expectations at Monday’s Iowa caucuses.  (Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

This isn’t the first campaign event climate protesters have crashed this week. On Thursday, climate protesters similarly disrupted an event by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. One protester was even seen tackled by security. 

“That is (what’s) wrong with the college system right there. That’s exhibit A,” DeSantis quipped about the tackled protester. 

Protesters also briefly appeared during Tuesday’s Fox News town hall featuring DeSantis.

Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a campaign event at Jethro’s BBQ on January 11, 2024 in Ames, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Time is running out for the GOP hopefuls ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Monday and the snowy and freezing conditions could have an impact on turnout. 

The RealClearPolitics average of polls show former President Trump with a commanding lead with 53% support of Iowa Republicans. Following Trump at a distant second is former U.N. Ambassador with roughly 18% support, then DeSantis close behind at 15.5% followed by Ramaswamy with 6.5%.