Protesters challenge stay-at-home orders in Washington State

More than 2,000 people gathered at the State Capitol to challenge Washington State’s stay-at-home mandates. Organizers touted that the gathering was on the anniversary of the “shot heard round the world” that triggered the Revolutionary War, reports New York Times.

The event drew some far-right groups, including the Three Percenters militia, named after the supposed fraction of colonists who took up arms during the war. With signs and speeches, the attendees called on the governor to lift the mandates.

“We will not tolerate this as the new normal,” said Tyler Miller, who led the gathering. He likened the group to the minutemen.

“We will not tolerate this as the new normal,” said Tyler Miller, who led the gathering. He likened the group to the minutemen.

The Washington State Patrol estimated that 2,500 people attended the gathering. Few attendees wore masks, and many gathered tightly around speakers against the guidance of public health officials who recommend a six-foot distance to limit the spread of the virus.

Gov. Jay Inslee said that while these have been difficult and frustrating times, he said now was not the time to stop progress in combating the virus.

“I support free speech, but crowd counts or speeches won’t determine our course,” Mr. Inslee said. “This isn’t about politics. It can only be about doing what is best for the health of all Washingtonians.”

The Washington protest is one of several rallies by people opposed to mandatory social distancing. In Denver on Sunday, two health care workers blocked the cars of protesters who had converged on the State Capitol to challenge stay-at-home orders, according to the photojournalist Alyson McClaran, who posted images of the exchange on social media. The workers wore scrubs and N95 masks.

“They were blocking the roads until the police force stepped in,” Ms. McClaran said. “People were putting their cars right up against them.”

President Trump on Sunday night again defended protesters in Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia, who have been protesting stay-at-home orders, even as the Democratic governors of those states have been receiving death threats.

“They have got cabin fever,” Mr. Trump said, denying that he was inciting violence by offering them support online. “They want their life back. Their life was taken away from them.”