A group of demonstrators supporting Second Amendment rights and protesting coronavirus restrictions hung an effigy of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear at the state capitol in Frankfurt on Sunday, The Hill reported.
Near the end of the rally, organizers of the demonstration led about 100 protesters to the governor's mansion in order to deliver a demand that Beshear, a Democrat, resign, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
After walking to the governor's mansion, the crowd returned to the statehouse, where an effigy with a picture of Beshear's face attached to it was hung from a tree with the message “sic semper tyrannis."
Soon after the effigy was hung, another man came to cut it down, CNN reported.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell condemned the action of the demonstrators, saying on Twitter that "there is no place for hate in Kentucky.”
His Republican colleague, Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams also criticized the protest, emphasizing in a tweet that "This is disgusting and I condemn it wholeheartedly. The words of John Wilkes Booth have no place in the Party of Lincoln."
Kentucky House Democratic leaders said in a statement that "Hanging Governor Beshear in effigy is beyond reprehensible, and yet it is also the logical conclusion of the hateful rhetoric we saw touted on the Capitol grounds earlier this month that was implicitly condoned by elected representatives from the legislature’s majority party."
Kentucky began gradually lifting its coronavirus restrictions and permitting some businesses to reopen late last month, according to The Hill. Over the weekend, the state eased restrictions further by allowing restaurants to start offering dine-in services with limited capacity.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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