Angry coronavirus protesters invade US state house with weapons
Multiple armed men have stormed a state building during an anti-coronavirus-lockdown protest in the United States.
Hundreds of protesters have stormed the State House in Michigan to denounce Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-home order and business restrictions.
The demonstration began on Thursday morning on the lawn outside of the capitol, but protesters later “demanded” to be let inside the building.
State police, wearing masks, blocked them from entering. None of the protesters appeared to be wearing masks.
Demonstrators, including some carrying guns, entered the capitol building and demanded the Democratic governor lift strict coronavirus lockdown orders, as some lawmakers reportedly donned bulletproof vests.
According to reports, Gov. Whitmer was protected by state police officers who also blocked a group of armed men from moving further into the building.
Protesters stood shoulder-to-shoulder outside the House chambers while chanting, “Let us in.”
The Republican-led Michigan House refused to extend the state’s coronavirus emergency declaration and voted to authorise a lawsuit challenging Gov. Whitmer’s authority and actions to combat the pandemic.
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Armed men have “stormed the state house†in Michigan.
— Charisse Gibson (@OkayCharisse) April 30, 2020
Gov Whitmer being protected by state police.
So far not even the closest sign of arrest, containing the situation, etc.
“Directly above me, men with rifles yelling at us,” tweeted Senator Dayna Polehanki along with a photo showing four men, at least one of whom appeared to be carrying a weapon.
“Some of my colleagues who own bullet proof vests are wearing them. I have never appreciated our Sergeants-at-Arms more than today,” she continued.
More protesters could be seen outside carrying signs, including one depicting Gov. Whitmer as Adolf Hitler.
The demonstration, dubbed the American Patriot Rally, was organised by a group calling itself Michigan United for Liberty.
“We do not agree with or consent to our unalienable rights being restricted or rescinded for any reason, including the COVID-19 pandemic,” the group said on its private Facebook page, where it has more than 8800 members.
“We believe that every American and every Michigander has the right to work to support our families, to travel freely, to gather for religious worship and for other purposes, to gather in protest of our government and to direct our own medical care.”
The protest comes a day after a Michigan court ruled that stay-at-home directives issued by Whitmer on March 24 do not infringe on residents’ constitutional rights, according to local media reports.
Directly above me, men with rifles yelling at us. Some of my colleagues who own bullet proof vests are wearing them. I have never appreciated our Sergeants-at-Arms more than today. #mileg pic.twitter.com/voOZpPYWOs
— Senator Dayna Polehanki (@SenPolehanki) April 30, 2020
Jason Howland, one of the organisers of the rally, told WLNS that the goal of the protest was “to get a ‘no’ vote on the extension of the emergency declaration from the senate, and beyond that, the goal is to continue pushing forward until we have our rights back.”
Local news reported that the state of emergency was set to expire April 30.
The governor had asked the legislature to extend it for 28 more days, but the Michigan House adjourned for the week on Thursday afternoon without extending the state of emergency, local media reported.
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said in a statement on Wednesday that “the Governor’s Executive Order recognises that people are still allowed to exercise their First Amendment right to freedom of speech, and the City of Lansing understands the resources that are necessary to ensure a safe environment throughout the City during these protests”.
It was the second time this month that protesters have demanded Whitmer lift lockdown restrictions in the state, which has seen more than 3,500 people killed by the coronavirus, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
On April 16 around 3000 protesters, some of them also armed, descended on Lansing for “Operation Gridlock,” causing a massive traffic jam around the capital building.
A day later US President Donald Trump appeared to lend his support to them and scattered protests elsewhere, tweeting “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!”
Whitmer, whose name has emerged as a potential running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, shrugged those protests off, telling CNN it was “OK to be angry.”
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - Michigan is an extraordinary place to live because of the people who call it home. There are millions of Michiganders doing their part to slow the spread of #COVID19 every single day. We are going to get through this together,” she tweeted later Thursday, without commenting directly on the protests.
Despite the demonstrations, Whitmer’s handling of the virus crisis has been met with a generally favourable response.
Michigan has the fourth largest number of COVID-19 cases in America and the third highest death toll, which is what prompted Gov. Whitmer to initially enact strict policies.
While some of those policies have been met with bipartisan approval, there has been considerable backlash to some of the strict social distancing measures, which include a ban on neighbours seeing each other, demanding stores to close sections “dedicated to carpeting, flooring, furniture, garden centres, plant nurseries, or paint”.
Still, calls to reopen the state are escalating as more than 20 million Americans have found themselves out of a job over the shutdown.
Michigan is among some of the nation’s worst hit states when it comes to coronavirus – along with New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
As of April 30, Michigan reported 41,379 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 3789 deaths.
- with wires.
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