Protesters, including some carrying guns, made their way to the capitol building in the US state of Michigan on Thursday and demanded the Democratic governor lift strict coronavirus lockdown orders, as some lawmakers reportedly donned bulletproof vests.
Hundreds of protesters crowded the lobby of the building in Lansing, where they demanded to be allowed inside the House Chamber.
State police, wearing masks, blocked them from entering. None of the protesters appeared to be wearing masks.
“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,” Senator Dayna Polehanki tweeted .
More protesters could be seen outside carrying signs, including one depicting Governor Gretchen 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“We do not agree with or consent to our unalienable rights being restricted or rescinded for any reason, including the Covid-19 pandemic,” the group said on its private Facebook page, where it has more than 8,800 members.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 Governor Whitmer on March 24 do not infringe on residents’ constitutional rights, according to local media reports.
