Connecticut’s top leaders Tuesday denounced President Donald J. Trump’s military response to the protests and civil unrest in Los Angeles after ICE raids, calling it a deliberate provocation just days before a nationwide day of protests dubbed “No Kings.”
“You have the right to protest. You have the right to protest peacefully. You protest peacefully, you enhance the cause, and people listen to your message,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “If the protests turn violent, sometimes that’s distracting from your message.”
The state Capitol in Hartford is one if the sites of planned demonstrations billed as “a nationwide day of defiance.” Other protests in Connecticut are planned for Stamford and Farmington. Demonstrations in Washington, D.C., will coincide with a military parade on the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
“People that want to protest will be met with big force,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, not differentiating between peaceful and violent protest. “But this is people that hate our country. They will be met with heavy force.”
Lamont, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Attorney General William Tong delivered a far different message, addressing reporters in the lobby of the State Office Building, where Tong has his office.
“Speak out. Do it. Do it peacefully, lawfully. But be passionate. Be loud,” Tong said. “This state has a track record, and our track record is of people, sometimes forcefully and aggressively, exercising their First Amendment rights, but lawfully and peaceably.”
Bysiewicz, who plans on attending the No Kings rallies, said she fielded calls asking if Connecticut planned to deploy National Guard troops on Saturday — something not contemplated, much less planned.
“This is something that is on the minds of people in Connecticut, because there are people all across the state who are planning dozens of these No Kings protests, and they were concerned enough to call me to ask whether the governor was planning to send in the National Guard,” she said.
On websites promoting the rallies, the organizers urge “de-escalation” in the face of any conflict Saturday.
State Capitol police were more than adequate to provide security on April 5, when between 2,500 and 3,000 people turned out to peacefully protest Trump’s upending of the economy, immigration and every corner of federal government in his first two months back in power.
“There are a lot of Twitter entreaties to ramp up the nature of the protests right now. I understand the frustration there is out there. Whatever you do, do it peacefully. We’ll be there to keep you safe,” Lamont said.
Lamonts noted that Connecticut experienced a string of acts of civil disobedience, including blocking highways, after the killing of George Floyd. But all were resolved peacefully, he said.
“We are here to make it clear that the state of Connecticut objects to the use of American soldiers against American citizens on American soil in California and Los Angeles under these circumstances,” Tong said.
Connecticut is not a party, however, to litigation filed by California’s attorney general challenging the legality of the deployments.