Maine Gov. Paul LePage went head-to-head with protesters at University of Southern Maine on Tuesday when he responded to their chants of "black lives matter" by countering "all lives matter."
The raucous back-and-forth came during a student-organized town hall meeting at the school's Portland campus, attended by about 100 people.
LePage was "interrupted repeatedly" by chants of "black lives matter" from dozens of protesters, some who cursed the Republican governor as they were kicked out of the event, the Bangor Daily News reports.
"I would say this: All lives matter. All lives matter," LePage shot back to boos and hisses, according to the newspaper.
The Daily News said when a young woman stood and shouted that protesters were "committed to dismantling white supremacy," LePage responded, "Good, go for it," and raised his fist in the air.
The protesters left and then rallied outside, chanting "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Paul LePage has got to go," according to the Portland Press Herald.
During the meeting, LePage said excessive taxation and high energy costs were hurting Maine's economy.
"Since the November election, hundreds of people have left our state and continue to leave every day. They all feel that state government has gotten too greedy," LePage said, the Press Herald reports.
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