For the second night in a row, a 'Protect the Vote' rally was held outside the Maricopa County Elections Office.

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones made a surprise appearance and fired up supporters of President Trump at a demonstration in Phoenix Thursday evening. 

PHOTOS: Protesters gather for 2nd night in Phoenix, Alex Jones addresses crowd

For a second night in a row, protesters gathered outside the Maricopa County Election HQ in Phoenix as workers inside continued to count ballots. On Thursday, the crowd was fired up with an appearance by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

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Jones grabbed a megaphone and addressed the crowd outside Maricopa County Election HQ, telling them, "Resistance is victory. You are victory! I salute you!” Jones then began leading protesters into the street. They followed, waving flags and signs, and chanting “USA! USA!”

Sheriff’s deputies then began asking the protesters to move and tried to disperse them from the streets. A short time later, the group began praying. A man was heard telling the crowd to pray for a “fair and honest election."

Jones is well known as a right-wing radio host. On his show, InfoWars, Jones once famously claimed that the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, never actually happened, and that the grieving parents are paid "actors."

This is the second night a crowd has assembled outside election HQ. On Wednesday evening, hundreds of President Trump supporters gathered there, protesting the vote count. At first, the group AZ Patriots walked right into the Maricopa County Recorder's Office. After demonstrators were kicked out of the building, they remained in the parking lot.

The group then moved to the Arizona Capitol Building, staying there for about a half-hour before moving back to the Recorder's Office. The group continued to grow, with most of the participants Trump supporters. They chanted "Four more years" and "Count the votes." Others chanted, "Stop the steal," implying Biden was stealing the election in Arizona.

Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies in tactical gear stood just outside the entrance to the elections center, making sure no one went back inside. At around 10 p.m. the media was escorted out of the lobby and the building was shut down. About 15 minutes later, the group started to thin out.

 

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