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Right-Wing Groups Organize Anti-Lockdown Protests Around the Country

HeadlineApr 20, 2020

Thousands of anti-quarantine protesters continued to defy social distancing orders to protest around the U.S. over the weekend. Protests took place in Texas, Indiana, New Hampshire, Nevada, Maryland, Utah, Wisconsin, Washington and Colorado. In Olympia, Washington, 2,500 people defied a ban on large public gatherings. Hundreds more ignored stay-at-home orders to protest at the Colorado state Capitol in Denver. Protests also took place in San Diego.

One of the far-right activists organizing the protests online is so called gun-rights activist Ben Dorr and his two brothers, who run the group Minnesota Gun Rights. The trio has attacked the National Rifle Association as too soft on gun rights and has set up Facebook pages to organize protests in several states with names like “Wisconsinites Against Excessive Quarantine.”

Meanwhile, last week’s anti-quarantine protest in Lansing, Michigan, was organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition, which is founded by two prominent Trump supporters and was promoted by the Michigan Freedom Fund, whose founder Greg McNeilly is linked to the family of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

In a series of tweets Friday afternoon, President Trump issued an online call to ”LIBERATE” Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia — all states where protesters targeted Democratic governors last week.

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