A past candidate for state representative said he was assaulted Saturday while attending a speech by President Donald Trump in Harrisburg.

Trump supporters removed Neil Makhija, a Jim Thorpe attorney, from the arena inside the Farm Show and Expo Center before local police stepped in, according to a Facebook post he made after the event Saturday night.Makhija was eventually let back in to the event by police."I was at the Trump event in Pennsylvania tonight, and got assaulted/shoved/pushed/cornered," Makhija posted. "I'm fine. I know many people would think I'm too idealistic, and even though I'm not a fan to say the least, I figured the guy is in fact President of the United States and so I'd stand in the back and watch. Apparently that's not allowed."Many of the men surrounding Makhija were wearing "Bikers For Trump" shirts.Makhija said he wasn't attending the event in protest of Trump, but rather to hopefully hear him speak on issues pertaining to Carbon County.Before the speech, he held a sign across the street that read, "Grandson of Refugees. Son of Immigrants. Proud Pennsylvanian.""These are basic facts about who I am," he said. "Apparently, they were too much for a group of Alt-Right activists, who told me they wanted an end to all immigration."Part of the altercation can be seen around the 30 second mark of a YouTube video posted by PennLive at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNO6oxGi8qU."After I was cornered the Harrisburg police arrived and told them to lay off," Makhija said of the men who attempted to remove him from the speech."What is our politics coming to? The future of our democracy depends on people who will stand up for the most basic principles, freedom of speech, and the rule of law, no matter what the demagogues encourage."