Trump accuses Sanders of inciting violent protests

US Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has accused Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders and his supporters of disrupting his recent rallies.

Trump, whose inflammatory remarks are allegedly fueling the potential for violence, refused to tone down his rhetoric on Sunday.

"Bernie Sanders is lying when he says his disruptors aren't told to go to my events. Be careful Bernie, or my supporters will go to yours!" the billionaire warned.

A large number of protesters -- many of them African Americans and Latinos angered by Trump's anti-immigrant stance -- clashed with Trump's supporters in Chicago on Friday night, forcing the billionaire businessman to cancel a rally there.

The cancellation, which came amid large demonstrations both inside and outside the event at the University of Illinois at Chicago, follows heightened concerns about violence in general at Trump’s rallies across the US.

Trump on Sunday described protesters at his rallies as "bad people that are looking to do harm to our country."

"When these people come into (my rallies), you know, everybody thinks I'm a bad guy," he said.

"If my people went into one of (Sanders's) rallies, they'd say, 'oh, this is a terrible thing.' They would be arrested and all sorts of things would happen to them," he added.

Trump wants the protesters who caused disorder at his rallies to be arrested.

Sanders rejected the idea that his supporters were responsible for the chaos.

He said the Republican candidate is “a pathological liar,” and is trying to distract the public attention because poll numbers show he will not win a general election.

"Trump's words must be taken with a grain of salt because I think as almost every knows, this man cannot stop lying about anything," he said.

"People in America know that we cannot have a president like Trump who insults Mexicans, who insults women, who insults Muslims," he said on CNN.

"People are catching on to Donald Trump. That's why he's getting reckless," Sanders argued.

Trump, who has never held elected office, is leading the race despite the fact that his campaign has been marked by controversial statements, including disparaging remarks about Mexican immigrants and Muslims.

He has won contests in 15 states -- Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Vermont.

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