Republicans urge Secret Service to push protesters further from RNC

Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, during a the media walkthrough of the 2024 Republican National Convention | Wisconsin Examiner photo

The Coalition to March on the Republican National Convention (RNC) is condemning efforts by RNC leaders to keep protests as far from the convention as possible. As first reported by Politico, GOP leaders issued a letter to the Secret Service arguing that allowing protests anywhere near the convention security footprint threatens the safety of the attendees. In response, the Coalition to March on the RNC issued a public statement criticizing ongoing efforts to limit expression during the national political convention which will come to Milwaukee in July.

In their letter, RNC leaders pointed to a worsening security situation, accusing the Secret Service of not acting on its demands. “Rather than dissipating, the overall security climate has worsened significantly over the past month of the [U.S. Secret Service’s] inaction,” Republican National Committee counsel Todd Steggerda wrote in a letter to the agency. “Your failure to act now to prevent these unnecessary and certain risks will imperil tens of thousands of Convention attendees, inexcusably forcing them into close proximity to the currently planned First Amendment Zone.”

The RNC will be held around the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee July 15-18. The Coalition to March on the RNC has struggled to get a permit to hold demonstrations within sight and sound of the convention. City officials, working in conjunction with the Secret Service, have proposed marking out a stage where groups will be allowed 15 minutes to speak, whether in favor of the convention and republican policy, or against. Meanwhile the coalition, which is made up of over 60 organizations, has yet to have its permit to protest approved by the city.

Although the location for the designated speakers’ platform hasn’t been publicly disclosed, the coalition stated  in a press release that there has been discussion of a location in Pere Marquette Park, which is closer to the convention site than the RNC organizers want.  “The Republicans explicitly named the Coalition to March on the RNC, and extensively quoted the Coalition, as a significant security risk,” the group stated in a press release. “The coalition is called ‘disturbing,’ and the RNC obliquely claims it is inciting violence. This is a disingenuous, cowardly position to take, and the Coalition condemns any and all attempts to paint us as violent or infringe on our right to take the streets.”

In their letter, RNC officials suggested a one-block adjustment to the protest site. According to Politico, Republicans have sent three letters to the Secret Service over the last month. Those included Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Florida Sen. Rick Scott, and a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The Secret Service has previously expressed confidence in its security plans, and a reluctance to push protests further away from the convention site.

The Coalition to March on the RNC insists that it is seeking  to hold a peaceful, family friendly march. “Meanwhile, the Republicans are cheerleaders for murderers like Kyle Rittenhouse and regularly make cartoonishly racist and reactionary statements,” the Coalition stated in a press release. “‘Hypocritical’ and ‘disingenuous’ are not sufficient to describe what is happening here. The RNC wants to support violent, anti-democratic events like the January 6th insurrection, but trembles at the thought of thousands of people and families marching for peace, justice, and equity.”

So far, the coalition has still not received specific information about the location of a speakers’ platform and what routes will be allowed for marches. “The Coalition is prepared to obtain the information we need about the routes and new permitting process through legal action,” it stated.

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