Sean Hannity Warns Armed Michigan Protesters: Not Helping Your Cause, Putting Police At Risk

Fox News host Sean Hannity ripped into some Michigan anti-lockdown protesters, who armed themselves and dressed in tactical gear to demonstrate in the state’s capital last weekend.

Speaking on his show Monday night, Hannity said that while he sympathizes with the Michigan protesters overall, he believed that the men showing up with weapons undercut the cause and put police at risk.

“I’m the number one supporter [on] radio and television, that I know of, [of the] First Amendment and the Second Amendment. Now, no one is a bigger defendant of the Second Amendment than yours truly,” Hannity said, as reported by Fox News.

“Everyone has the right to protest, protect themselves and try to get the country open,” he continued. “This, with the militia look here, and these long guns, uh… no. Show of force is dangerous. That puts our police at risk. And by the way, your message will never be heard, whoever you people are. No one should be attempting to intimidate officials with a show of force, and God forbid, something happens. Then they’re going to go after all of us law-abiding Second Amendment people.”

Hannity’s comments came one day after Michigan’s Democrat Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, condemned the protesters for expressing some of the “worst racism in U.S. history.”

“There were swastikas and Confederate flags and nooses and people with assault rifles,” Whitmer said. “Some of the outrageousnesses of what happened at our capitol depicted some of the worst racism and awful parts of our history in this country.”

“Whether you agree with me or not, I’m working to protect your life if you live in the state of Michigan,” she added.

In a tweet last Friday, President Trump expressed support for the Michigan protesters, calling them “very good people.”

“The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Gretchen Whitmer sparked outrage in her state when she extended the lockdown all the way until May 28 in defiance of the state’s legislature, who correctly noted that Whitmer’s capacity to enact “emergency measures” had run out after two months, per Michigan state law.

“We’re all in this together,” said Whitmer. “Defeating COVID-19 is an all hands on deck moment for our state, and I remain hopeful that Republicans in the legislature will stop the partisan games and start working with me to re-engage our economy safely and responsibly.”

In an op-ed published last month, the Michigan paper Detroit News severely criticized Whitmer for playing politics as her state suffers through an unprecedented crisis.

“Gov. Gretchen Whitmer must send an unequivocal message to her constituents that Michigan is her priority in this hour of crisis,” wrote Detroit News. “Her running feud with President Donald Trump calls into question whether she’s acting in the best interests of this state, or on behalf of the Democratic Party.”