Woman Storms Stage at Jeff Bezos Appearance

A woman was arrested Thursday after approaching Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos and yelling about chicken farms on stage at a conference in Las Vegas, authorities said. Bezos's appearance at Amazon's re:Mars event at the Aria resort was briefly interrupted before the woman was surrounded by security guards and ushered away, the AP reports. Direct Action Everywhere spokesman Matt Johnson identified the protester as 30-year-old Priya Sawhney of Berkeley, California. Sawhney was held on suspicion of misdemeanor trespassing and may face more serious charges, Las Vegas police Officer Laura Meltzer said.

Bezos was explaining plans to send satellites into space when the woman appeared on stage. Johnson said Sawhney was protesting conditions at a Petaluma Poultry, a California farm that supplies Amazon. "Jeff, you are the richest man on the planet," she said, per the BBC. "You can help the animals." She never got close to Bezos, who remained seated opposite a moderator to whom he joked, "Do you have a response to that?" In a press release after the incident, Sawnhey said: "It's time Amazon and Jeff Bezos take a stand for transparency, rather than actively suppressing the truth."

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