(NewsNation) — One of the organizers behind this weekend’s “No Kings” rallies joined “CUOMO” on Friday to push back on claims by some Republicans that the movement is driven by extremist elements in the Democratic Party.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested just that earlier in the day when he remarked that “No Kings” demonstrations should be relabeled “The Hate America Rally.”
“You’re going to bring together the Marxists, the socialists, the antifa advocates, the anarchists and the pro-Hamas wing of the far-left Democrat Party,” Johnson said.
What to know about ‘No Kings’ protests against Trump’s policies
Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, promised “peaceful, but vigorous protests against Donald Trump’s authoritarianism.” More than 2,700 rallies composed of millions of demonstrators are expected across the U.S. on Saturday, the latest in a series of “No Kings” gatherings since Republican Trump took office.
As for Johnson’s cutting comments, Weissman called them a “disgrace.” He said organizers have trained tens of thousands of people in deescalation tactics to support the guiding principle of nonviolence.
“He is trying to impute the idea that this is a terrorist movement because he’s denouncing his opposition,” Weissman said of Johnson. “He can oppose our ideas all he wants, but he should be celebrating and embracing our right to protest.”
He added: “No one on our side is itching for violence.”
