MoveOn.org Activist Lauren Valle
MoveOn.org employee, Lauren Valle, was stepped on by a Rand Paul supporter at the Paul/Conway debate in Lexington last night. Valle told police she was attempting to get a picture with Paul holding a sign she made to embarrass him in commercials.
The seasoned liberal activist was wrestled to the ground while police were called. The unidentified person who stepped on Valle was immediately reprimanded and told to stop by other Paul supporters. Police say Valle refused medical treatment.
Paul’s campaign released a statement on the melee, calling it “incredibly unfortunate.”
“Violence of any kind has no place in our civil discourse and we urge supporters on all sides to be civil to one another as tensions rise heading toward this very important election,” the statement said.
Valle was arrested in May for a Greenpeace protest in Louisiana following the B.P. oil spill, and in 2008 she was detained in China for a “Free Tibet” protest.
In another incident, a Jack Conway supporter stomped on the foot of a Rand Paul supporter who recently had foot surgery. The woman was wearing a surgical boot but an incision was cut open.
No arrests were made at the debate, but assault charges have been filed.
