During an appearance on ABC’s “The View,” Whitmer said that the armed anti-lockdown protests at the state’s Capitol have “been really political rallies where people come with Confederate flags and Nazi symbolism and calling for violence.”
“I do think that the fact of the matter is these protests, in a perverse way, make it likelier that we’re going to have to stay in a stay-at-home posture,” Whitmer continued.
The protests are “not appropriate in a global pandemic,” the Democratic governor said, adding, “This is calls to violence. This is racist and misogynistic.”
The state’s stay-at-home orders—one of the strictest in the nation—and Michigan’s state of emergency have been extended until May 28. The measures include not allowing people to travel to other homes under most conditions and bars the sale of items deemed nonessential at many stores.
Hundreds have gathered at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing against Whitmer’s stay-at-home order in recent weeks, holding placards with slogans like “Shut down the lockdown,” and “No work, no freedom.”
Whitmer said Wednesday that while she respects “people’s right to dissent,” the anti-lockdown protestors were putting others at risk.
“And I ask that everyone who has a platform uses it to call on people to observe the best practices promulgated by the CDC and to stop encouraging this behavior, because it only makes it that much more precarious for us to try to re-engage our economy, which is what everyone says they want us to be able to do,” Whitmer continued.
“We have legislators who are showing up to work wearing bulletproof vests,” she said. “That is disenfranchising thousands of people in our state, if their legislator doesn’t feel safe enough to go to work and to do what their job is. No one should stand in our way of doing our jobs.”
MSP Lieutenant Brian Oleksyk urged those who plan to attend to wear face masks and practice social distancing.
“That is holding it in a manner or waving it or pointing it at someone that inflicts fear on a reasonable person,” he added. “If you are caught doing such a thing, we will address that and you could be subjected to an arrest immediately here on the grounds.”
