Armed Trumpers attempt to storm Michigan State House.

[The Romulan Republic]

https://nbcnews.com/politics/politics-n ... s-n1196886

Hundreds of Michigan residents protested outside the state Capitol building in Lansing on Thursday, with some pushing inside while the Legislature was debating an extension of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Protesters held signs, waved American flags and even carried firearms while some chanted, “Let us in!” and “This is the people’s house, you cannot lock us out,” and others tried to get onto the House floor but were blocked by state police and sergeants-at-arms, according to WDIV-TV, an NBC affiliate in Detroit.

A state police spokesman told NBC News that it is legal in Michigan to carry firearms as long as it is done with lawful intent and the weapon is visible.

Protest moves inside Michigan Capitol. Crowd attempts to get onto Hoise floor. Lots of Michigan State Police and House sergeants at arms blocking door. pic.twitter.com/4FNQpimP4W

— Rod Meloni (@RodMeloni) April 30, 2020
The protest, dubbed the "American Patriot Rally," was organized by Michigan United for Liberty to call for the reopening of businesses.

State lawmakers are expected to vote on the 28-day extension of the state of emergency before it expires at midnight.

Whitmer, a Democrat who has faced fierce backlash for her strict stay-at-home mandate, extended that order earlier this month until May 15, but eased some restrictions on public activities as the state's coronavirus cases stabilize. The state, however, still has more than 40,000 cases and is one of the hardest-hit states.

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
The emergency declaration allows Whitmer to use her emergency powers to use executive orders during a crisis; its extension is separate from the extension of the stay-at-home order.

As the protests moved indoors from the rainy steps of the Capitol, police took the temperatures of those entering the building using a forehead thermometer, according to WOOD-TV, an NBC affiliate in Grand Rapids.

Officers took protestors temperatures as they entered the Capitol building in Lansing. pic.twitter.com/8sBngaYse0

— Leon Hendrix (@LeonHendrix) April 30, 2020
Like the “Operation Gridlock” demonstration on April 15 over Whitmer’s stay-at-home order, many demonstrators appeared to be supporters of President Donald Trump, donning "Make American Great Again" campaign hats, and in one instance, putting on a dance routine by two girls wearing masks that appeared to be Trump and former President Barack Obama.

Now this is happening. pic.twitter.com/w1CkLB3T3s

— Leon Hendrix (@LeonHendrix) April 30, 2020
Republican lawmakers in Michigan, who control both chambers, have signaled that they would like to see the state safely reopen soon and have pushed back against Whitmer’s request for an extension of her emergency declaration.

[Gandalf]

I wonder white they weren't arrested?

[Ziggy Stardust]

I wonder white they weren't arrested?

Was "white" an intentional typo, or just a Freudian slip? Because well, that is the exact reason they weren't arrested.

[Gandalf]

I wonder white they weren't arrested?

Was "white" an intentional typo, or just a Freudian slip? Because well, that is the exact reason they weren't arrested.

'Twas the first one.

[The Romulan Republic]

Turns out they were "very good people":

https://globalnews.ca/news/6892207/coro ... ald-trump/

U.S. President Donald Trump described hundreds of armed, primarily white protesters who stormed the Michigan Capitol building as “very good people,” amid accusations that the gun-toting demonstrators were acting like “terrorists” in the way they protested the state’s coronavirus lockdown.

Many of the protesters showed up with AR-15 rifles, tactical gear and a mix of camouflage and star-spangled apparel for their “American Patriot Rally” at the state capitol in Lansing, Mich., on Thursday. The group crowded into the state capitol building and tried to force its way past Michigan State Police to break up a meeting about the crisis, while chanting for the state to end the lockdowns.

One striking photo captured at the event shows a bearded man screaming in the faces of masked Michigan State Police. The image provoked intense backlash on social media, where many described the group as “Michigan terrorists.”

MAGA in one photo.#MichiganTerrorists pic.twitter.com/KDrsxuLVb5

— Koko (@Kokomothegreat) April 30, 2020

Critics also suggested that the protests showed the difference between how white and Black protesters are treated, because police did not use force against the armed far-right group.

“White privilege is being able to storm the Michigan state capitol heavily armed and not be treated like a criminal,” one woman said on Twitter.

“When black people peacefully protest, it’s a very different scene,” added another user.

We live in two different Americas. pic.twitter.com/TcFablv0CM

— Stay Home, Save Lives (@DanSlott) May 1, 2020

Video captured from the protest shows the bearded man screaming “Hey Redcoat!” at the police, in what appears to be a reference to the American Revolutionary War.

Police and staff aren’t engaging w/ protesters and the crowd is angry pic.twitter.com/2OOJC7eQl2

— Anna Liz Nichols (@annaliznichols) April 30, 2020

It was the latest in a series of protests — many of them led by far-right groups — that have demanded an easing of restrictions meant to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Much of their fury has been directed at Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat and frequent Trump target who has imposed some of the most sweeping lockdowns in the United States.

Trump himself seemed to encourage protests against Whitmer last month, when he urged his Twitter followers to “LIBERATE” three states with Democratic governors, including Michigan.

He backed them again on Friday in a tweet that urged Whitmer to “give a little” to put out the “fire.”

“These are very good people, but they are angry,” Trump said. “They want their lives back again, safely!”

The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2020

Many critics online pointed out that Trump’s remarks echoed his response to the white supremacy rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.

Trump infamously claimed that there were “very fine people on both sides” of a clash between far-right racists and counter-protesters at that event. One member of the Unite the Right rally ultimately killed a counter-protester by hitting her with his car.

Maybe Trump's "very good people" aren't so good, just as his "very fine people" weren't so fine. pic.twitter.com/C5nbPRs7am

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 1, 2020

The economic impact of the lockdowns has been felt across the political spectrum in the United States, raising real concern about people’s livelihoods in the midst of the coronavirus crisis. More than 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since the lockdowns began. More than 1 million Americans have been infected by the virus and more than 63,000 have died from it.

READ MORE: Poison control calls spike after Trump talks of disinfectant to fight coronavirus

The vast majority of anti-lockdown rallies appear to have been organized by far-right and pro-Trump groups. Red MAGA hats and “Trump 2020” campaign signs have been frequent sights at these events, which often take on an anti-government tone.

In a video tweet by reporter Leon Hendrix — who was at a Michigan rally — two girls are shown dancing on a stage, with one donning a Trump mask and the other in a Barack Obama mask.

Now this is happening. pic.twitter.com/w1CkLB3T3s

— Leon Hendrix (@LeonHendrix) April 30, 2020

Some protesters have even been spitefully donning shredded face masks as a sign of disdain for public health advice. Many others have brought “protection” in the form of military-style weapons, while not wearing face masks that could protect others from the virus.

The president has refused to condemn the anti-lockdown protests, which health experts say fly in the face of social distancing measures.

“They listen to me, they like me,” Trump said of the protests last month. “They seem very responsible to me.”

The armed protesters on Thursday built a massive sign with Trump’s name outside the state capitol. They also waved signs promoting various bonkers conspiracy theories about the virus, and other signs that compared the governor to Adolf Hitler.

Whitmer stood by her emergency lockdown measures on Thursday, despite opposition from the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature.

“While some members of the legislature might believe this crisis is over, common sense and all of the scientific data tells us we’re not out of the woods yet,” she said in a statement.

“By refusing to extend the emergency and disaster declaration, Republican lawmakers are putting their heads in the sand and putting more lives and livelihoods at risk.”

Police only made one arrest at the rally, Lt. Brian Oleksyk of Michigan State Police told the Guardian.

One protester was taken into custody for allegedly assaulting another protester, Oleksyk said.