Kings Move to Cancel “No Kings” Protests in Minnesota
The national security monarchy intervenes in the north star state
The kings have decreed that there must be no protests against the kings.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz wasted no time today issuing a statement on X saying, “my Department of Public Safety is recommending that people do not attend any political rallies today in Minnesota,” a reference to the anti-Trump “No Kings” protests scheduled for today.
The authorities are tracking down a suspect in the “politically motivated” shooting of two state political leaders last night, with one dead. In recommending people not protest, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety is doing what the national security state does: prioritizing “security” over liberty. What’s surprising to me, though, is that that a Democratic leader like Walz is going along, echoing the call for people not to attend an explicitly anti-Trump protest.
The No Kings official website has canceled all planned protests in Minnesota, according to a bright red banner across the top of their website.
The protests were scheduled for today, a Saturday that is both Flag Day and Trump’s 79th birthday, to oppose what they see as Trump’s monarchical self-adulation in a military parade the president has insisted take place today
Take a wild guess if those military parades are being called off in an abundance of caution. No; instead, miles of barriers have been erected in Washington and police and federal law enforcement is out in droves.
The irony here is layered. On a day meant to protest monarchical authority, the subjects have been asked by the state’s top official to stay home. What’s more, Walz himself ran against president Trump echoing basically that same point, calling him a “tyrant” and “wannabe dictator” paving the way for “authoritarianism.” The very threat Walz was warning about happens when people give up their liberty in exchange for (perceived) security.
I’m not saying Walz is intentionally being undemocratic here; I’m sure he’s genuinely concerned about people’s safety (and perhaps a bit shaken himself). But by mindlessly repeating the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, which itself is mindlessly operating in accordance with the homeland security playbook, he disempowers the public by scaring people away from exercising their First Amendment rights.
I can see why politicians wouldn’t want to attend the protests: the shooter’s supposed manifesto is said to include a hit list of dozens of Minnesota Democratic elected officials, as well as pro-choice and abortion-related targets. He is also alleged to be masquerading as a policeman, particularly spooking those in blue.
But there’s no evidence that the shooter is targeting ordinary protesters; and even though Walz says that people should stay home until the suspect is apprehended, the no-protest warning strikes me as a panicked misstep that results in the very undemocratic tendency it sought to protest.
And yet again, both law enforcement and the media are selectively publicizing portions of the alleged shooter’s manifesto without the full context that the rest of the document would provide.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety itself — the agency Walz quoted — reposted a release by the Minnesota State Patrol containing a pile of paper’s found in the shooter’s car with the words “NO KINGS” written on it. Lacking any context about the shooter’s targeting of Democratic officials, the post has gone viral among right wing accounts on social claiming that this is proof that the shooter is a left-wing member of the No Kings protests.
That post now has 1.8 million views, according to X, not counting the innumerable other posts of the same image. This type of confusion wouldn’t happen if the media simply published these documents with the full context.
“ Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy,” Walz said this morning. Indeed it is, governor — so get out of the way.
— Edited by William M. Arkin
This isn't just about a protest being canceled. It's part of a pattern that's been building for a while. You look at Aaron Bushnell, Luigi Mangione, Elias Rodriguez, Mohammad Soliman, and now Boelter... Different people, different ideologies and motives, but all reaching a point where they felt like no one in power was listening to them.
This isn't a defense or justification for violence. But maybe the people in power should pay attention to why it's happening more often instead of abusing that power.
The response from the state seems to be the same every time. More security, more surveillance, more silence around the full context. Palantir and Anduril keep getting more deeply embedded in public safety infrastructure, but no one is really asking what that means for democracy.
We should be creating more space for people to speak, organize, and be heard. Not shutting down protests while military parades go on as planned.
If people are losing faith in peaceful means to be heard, the solution isn’t to clamp down harder. These people should try actually listen and turn that into tangible policy.
It still went on. Minnesotans are fierce!