Organizers of the upcoming “No Kings” rally in Helena say that a new state rule banning permits for weekend rallies on the Capitol grounds violates their First Amendment rights. State officials countered that the new rule, quietly instituted just last month, was intended to save money.

The update to permitting guidelines on the Montana.gov site, which has not been previously reported, states that public events requiring a permit “may only occur on weekdays and between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., excluding holidays.”

The revisions apply to all state-owned or leased spaces or grounds at the Capitol Complex. The policy requires a permit for any public event that uses “state resources, requires setup of any structures, materials, displays, or requires clean-up.” A public event is defined as “any event that is open to the public and to which the public will have full access.”

  • leadore@lemmy.world
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    1 hour ago

    All those people who keep telling us protesting is useless please explain why republicans in power keep trying to suppress protests. What are they scared of?

  • GlendatheGayWitch@lemmy.world
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    3 hours ago

    Just tell everyone to leave their signs at home, clean up after themselves, and walk the capitol grounds and/or the surrounding areas chanting/yelling phrases in unison. Hard to drown out the unified voices of 1,000 people. That way they don’t use state resources, and don’t set up any structures, materials, or displays.

  • minorkeys@lemmy.world
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    5 hours ago

    If you don’t want to pay for the permitting costs or organizing public protest through a permit system then people get to publicly protest without getting permits. You don’t get to eliminated a constitutional right over a budget reduction. Like wtf, these leaders are a threat to basic rights.

  • switcheroo@lemmy.world
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    5 hours ago

    Yeaaaah that ain’t gonna work. Protesting the government only when they allow it? Nah fuck all the way off with that.

    Stand up Montana! They are trying to stomp on your rights!

    • LillyPip@lemmy.ca
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      8 hours ago

      That’s literally the point of these protests.

      We won’t listen to their authoritarianism.

      Obviously they won’t sanction your protests. Like that should matter. If Nazis say they don’t want opposition, are you just going to say okay, we won’t protest without a permit?

      That’s insane.

      • 🌞 Alexander Daychilde 🌞@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        We will not have change without enough people realzing that enough other people are willing to stand up for that change.

        Online discussion is the foundation for protests, and protests are the foundation for change. We need to build on those. They are useful for those reasons, but people are correct that they themselves will not effect the change we need.

  • Asafum@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    “may only occur on weekdays and between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., excluding holidays. when you have to be at work.”

    • foggy@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      Lol so… Everyone in the restaurant industry unite and lead this shit.

      Yalls weekend is Monday Tuesday, and your days start at 3pm.

      Ezpz.

  • cmbabul@lemmy.world
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    2 hours ago

    I highly doubt my state will follow suit, but if they do I will go from thinking the NoKings deals are pressure release valves to keep folks under thumb to attending every one with bells on

  • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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    9 hours ago

    I heard there IS one, but the location keeps changing. People should have their gear handy and take their signs and see which one is up and running. Just walk between all the rumoured locations (safely using crosswalks, of course) all day.

    You’re not gathering in protest: you haven’t found the venue yet. But you’ll tell everyone to go home when you get there. Thank you officer.