Fight erupts at Michigan Capitol protest over noose; police take ax

Source: The Detroit News


Updated 1:26 p.m. ET May 14, 2020


Lansing — Tension mounted at Thursday's Michigan Capitol demonstration about Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's shutdown orders when two protesters fought over a noose display, and police confiscated an ax.

A brief skirmish occurred when some protesters objected to another demonstrator's display of a doll with a noose around its neck, along with an American flag, witnesses said.

Other protesters objected to the noose display, worried it would depict the group as violent, protester Katie Rogowicz said.

A person snatched the flag away from the man and, when he tried to retrieve it, another protester pushed him to the ground, Rogowicz said.

“That wasn’t right,” she said about the actions against the man. “He has the right to do it.”

An individual involved in the incident had an ax that was given to law enforcement, police said. No one was injured.

Michigan State Police described the incident in a tweet as a fight in which "one demonstrator tried to take a sign out of another demonstrator's hand. ... The victim is a 60-year-old male." No arrests were made, police said.................

Read more: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2020/05/14/protesters-begin-gathering-thursday-demonstration/5186937002/