Sacha Baron Cohen infiltrated a right-wing rally and got people in the crowd to sing that they wanted to infect Obama and Fauci with COVID-19
- The comedian Sacha Baron Cohen on Saturday wore a disguise and led a singalong with racist lyrics at a right-wing rally in Olympia, Washington, according to Variety.
- While some audience members appeared unimpressed, others could be heard whooping and joining in with lyrics such as "Obama, what we gonna do? Inject him with the Wuhan flu."
- According to a video of an event organizer, Baron Cohen had posed as a political-action committee leader and had provided funding, security, and a new performer to the event.
The comedian Sacha Baron Cohen on Saturday pranked a right-wing rally by leading a singalong that called for infecting Dr. Anthony Fauci, former President Barack Obama, and others with COVID-19, according to Variety magazine.
The right-wing group called the Three Percenters held the rally in Olympia, Washington, at which a bluegrass performer got the crowd to join him in lyrics such as "Obama, what we gonna do? Inject him with the Wuhan flu."
After video footage spread on social media, Variety said it confirmed that the singer was Baron Cohen.
According to a video interview with the event organizer posted on social media, Baron Cohen first posed as a political-action committee leader who offered to sponsor the event and add a new band to the schedule.
The organizer said this "sponsor" also organized security, who then prevented others from cutting the power to the stage. This was because Baron Cohen started singing "racist and divisive lyrics," according to the video.
A video of the performance includes audio of members of the crowd joining Baron Cohen's call-and-response routine. This singled out liberals, Chinese people, mask-wearers, CNN, Hillary Clinton, and Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, among others, to be infected with the "Wuhan flu" or to be chopped up "like the Saudis do."
One part of the song suggested that Chinese people made the coronavirus "in a sushi factory." Cohen then sang "Sushi-eaters, what we gonna do?" with the crowd replying "Inject them with the Wuhan flu!"
Footage from other moments shows audience members giving Baron Cohen a thumbs-down sign or waving him off the stage.
The Three Percenters are a pro-gun right-wing group that the Southern Poverty Law Center refers to as part of the "the antigovernment militia movement."
The group says on its website that it is "a national organization made up of patriotic citizens who love their country, their freedoms, and their liberty." The site includes a vehement denial that racism, or anti-government sentiment, play any part in its ideology.
Baron Cohen may have organized the stunt for his "Who Is America?" show on Showtime. It falls in line with his unique brand of satirical reality TV, in which he frequently poses as a reactionary or bigoted figure in real-life situations to gauge public reaction.