Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen carried out a stunt in which he convinced US conservative festival goers to sing about injecting scientists, journalists and political figures with the ‘Wuhan flu’.
The Borat and Ali G star infiltrated the right-wing rally in Olympia, Washington, where he took to the stage disguised as a country singer.
Footage shows him convincing festival-goers to sing along to lyrics about infecting well-known US figures including former president Barack Obama, American immunologist Doctor Anthony Fauci and Microsoft boss Bill Gates with coronavirus.
Other targets include the World Health Organisation (WHO), people who wear face masks and ‘liberals’.
At one point he even convinced festival-goers to sing about journalists and how they should ‘chop them up like the Saudis do’ – a reference to the death of Jamal Khashoggi who was assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Turkey in 2018.
The video mirrors another famous stunt by Baron Cohen, who, disguised as one of his characters, Borat, convinced Americans at a bar in Arizona to sing the lyrics ‘throw the Jew down the well’.
Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen carried out a stunt in which he convinced US conservative festival goers to sing about injecting scientists, journalists and political figures with the ‘Wuhan flu’
The video mirrors another famous stunt by Baron Cohen (pictured), who, disguised as one of his characters, Borat, convinced Americans at a bar in Arizona to sing the lyrics ‘throw the Jew down the well’
Baron Cohen has yet to claim responsibility for the stunt, but attendees of the ‘March for Our Rights 3’ rally say the comedian was behind it.
They claim he posed as the leader of a Political Action Committee (PAC), who offered to sponsor the festival and pay for a stage and security.
Local councillor James Connor Blair, posting on his personal page, said the comedian’s security blocked event organisers from removing him from the stage or pulling power from the stage’s generator.
Organisers ‘3% cent of Washington’ said in a statement on Facebook that they were ‘appalled by the performance’ and that ‘racism is never allowed within our group’.
But footage from an eight-minute long video, posted on Youtube, shows festival-goers wilfully singing along to Baron Cohan’s lyrics.
The video begins with the comedian singing about former US President Barrack Obama, before saying he should be infected with the ‘Wuhan flu’.
Local councillor James Connor Blair, posting on his personal page, said the comedian’s security blocked event organisers from getting him off the stage or pulling power from the generator for the stage
Organisers ‘3% cent of Washington’ say they were ‘appalled by the performance’ and that ‘racism is never allowed within our group’
‘Wuhan flu’ is believed to be reference to coronavirus – which was first discovered at a market in Wuhan, China.
US President Donald Trump has previously been accused of inciting racism by referring to coronavirus as the ‘China Virus’ and ‘Kung flu’.
Baron Cohen later sings about how coronavirus is a ‘hoax’ before turning his attention to US infectious disease chief Dr Anthony Fauci – who is leading the country’s response to the virus – and the World Health Organisation.
He later sings: ‘WHO what we gotta do? Inject them with the Wuhan Flu.WHO what we gotta do? Chop them up like the Saudis do.’
The comedian then encourages the crowd to chose which verse to sing next by cheering their favourite – with the ‘chop them’ up version receiving the loudest cheer.
He then goes on to sing about journalists at CNN, a news channel often criticised by US President Donald Trump, and Chinese people, who he refers to as ‘Sushi-eaters’.
Baron Cohen then sings: ‘Chinese people what we going to do? Nuke ’em up like in World War 2.’ The crowd then repeats the verse.
China fought alongside America in the Second World War, and while the US did drop two nuclear bombs, it was on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The stunt is the latest in a long line carried out by Baron Cohen in the US.
In 2018 he starred in hit-show ‘Who is America?’ in which he dressed-up as a variety of characters (including the one pictured) in a bid to prank high profile American politicians
In 2018 he starred in hit-show ‘Who is America?’ in which he dressed-up as a variety of characters in a bid to prank high profile American politicians.
One of the most famous pranks from the show involved Baron Cohen gaining support from right-wing political figures for a bogus campaign named ‘Kinderguardians’, which argued for small children to be given guns in a bid to prevent school shootings in the US.
In 2005, disguised as Borat, a character said to be from Kazakhstan, he convinced drinkers at a bar in Arizona to sing along with his song ‘Throw the Jew down the well’. Baron Cohen was raised Jewish and is fluent in Hebrew.
The English comedian also once interviewed US President Donald Trump in 2003, while disguised as his character Ali G – a self-styled ‘chav’ from the Berkshire town of Staines.
During the interview he pitched his invention the ‘ice-cream glove’, to protect hands from dripping ice-cream, to the unimpressed businessman.
MailOnline has contacted Baron Cohen’s representatives for a comment.