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April 16, 2020

Michigan Protesters Defy Social Distancing Rules, Demanding End to Quarantine
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In Lansing, Michigan, thousands of protesters flooded the streets around
the state Capitol building in their cars Wednesday and defied a state
ban on public gatherings to demand an end to Michigan's quarantine
measures. The protest was organized by the Michigan Conservative
Coalition under the hashtag #Operation Gridlock. One large group of men
armed with assault rifles posed for a picture on the steps of the state
Capitol, holding signs reading "Trump/Pence" and "remove the Whitmer
regime."

Inside the Capitol, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said the protesters risked
spreading disease, and blasted them for blocking access to a hospital,
where an ambulance was unable to discharge a patient.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: "I support your right to free speech, and I
respect your opinions. I just urge you: Don't put yourself at risk, and
don't put others at risk either."

In Frankfort, Kentucky, dozens of protesters shouted through a window of
the state Capitol building Wednesday, interrupting Governor Andy Beshear
as he held a coronavirus press briefing.


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