A protest by supporters of then-President Donald Trump on the Minnesota State Capitol grounds and outside Gov. Tim Walz's home on Jan. 6, the same day as a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, did not include any criminal activity, the state Department of Public Safety said Wednesday.
The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reviewed video and other information gathered by the State Patrol, which oversees Capitol security, and interviewed one participant regarding comments made at the event, the DPS said in a news release. The BCA had looked at whether speakers and organizers of the rally committed terroristic threats or other crimes.
The BCA reviewed the information with the Ramsey County Attorney's Office, which determined that no actions or speech rose to the level of criminal activity.
Leaders of Hold the Line MN, the group that organized the "Storm the Capitol" rally, could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday. But after the DPS released its findings, the group posted on its Facebook page: "You don't say … "
The rally featured about 500 demonstrators, mostly ardent Trump supporters, who repeated disproved allegations that the election was stolen from the former president in November.
More than two hours of video and audio footage captured by the Star Tribune from the Jan. 6 rally documented how activists spoke in increasingly dark and apocalyptic terms about the need to pressure DFLer Walz to end his emergency COVID-19 orders and for federal lawmakers to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, had sharply criticized six GOP legislators who took part in the rally.
While authorities concluded the rally did not cross the line into criminal activity, "false, misleading, and hateful speech has consequences," she said in a statement Wednesday. "It creates an environment of fear and division, can cause harm to individuals targeted by such speech, and it makes it more difficult for us to work together and solve problems."
During the protest, state troopers whisked the governor's teenage son to safety.
Soon after, Walz called up members of the Minnesota National Guard after the FBI reported threats of armed protests at capitols across the country in the run-up to President Joe Biden's inauguration.
Staff writers Baird Helgeson and Stephen Montemayor contributed to this report.
"activity" - Google News
January 21, 2021 at 08:54AM
https://ift.tt/3ixWzP0
DPS: No evidence of criminal activity at 'Storm the Capitol' rally in St. Paul - Minneapolis Star Tribune
"activity" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3ddCXMh
https://ift.tt/2WkO13c
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "DPS: No evidence of criminal activity at 'Storm the Capitol' rally in St. Paul - Minneapolis Star Tribune"
Post a Comment