Gun control activists were seen storming Tennessee’s state capitol on Thursday amid growing fears of a left-wing insurgency at an alleged protest in Washington, DC.
Footage of the riot shows progressive protesters fighting with police officers as they attempt to gain entry into the Nashville legislature. Hundreds of people were seen in the lobby shouting at concerned lawmakers from the gallery.
The gun protest comes after transgender gunman Audrey Hale shot dead six people, including three nine-year-old children, at a Christian school in Nashville on Monday.
In a separate demonstration, trans activists invaded the Kentucky state capitol in Frankfurt yesterday to protest a Republican-backed bill banning transgender practices for children. Among the mob was a self-proclaimed “genderqueer clown nun” who immediately drew comparisons to the QAnon shaman of the January 6 riot.
The left-wing demonstrations come amid fears of a trans revenge day looming for Washington DC on Saturday. Twitter bosses rushed this week to remove thousands of posts promoting the protest.
Footage of the ongoing riot, posted to social media just before 2 p.m., shows progressive protesters attempting to enter Nashville’s State House and being beaten away by several members of the city’s sheriff’s department
Hours earlier, an independent procession, featuring a priest-clad activist with clown makeup and Satanic robes, gathered outside the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfurt to protest their governor’s veto of a law banning medical treatment for trans children
While most condemned the attack – which killed three nine-year-olds and as many school workers – several independent, fringe, extremist groups have emerged and claimed the shooting was a result of the ongoing oppression of trans people in southern, more conservative states.
One of those groups, the Trans Radical Activist Network (TRAN), apparently took note of this chaos and took the opportunity to rebrand a planned three-day procession, previously dubbed the Trans Day of Visibility, as “Day of Vengeance.”
Posters promoting the procession were posted and quickly shared on platforms including Twitter, which confirmed on Wednesday that more than 5,000 posts promoting the event had already been removed.
According to several ads since deleted, the event is still scheduled to take place Friday through Sunday in Washington, DC, as scheduled, although revelers wrote they would be “marching” onto the nation’s main courthouse at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
The demonstration, currently taking place in Nashville, served as a preview of what Washington officials can expect when the weekend is over — with footage from the scene showing hundreds descending on Tennessee’s main Legislative Building in the fight for tougher gun laws.
Before crowding into the building, hundreds were seen gathering outside, broadcasting chants of “Save our children!” — phrase reportedly echoing down the hallways between the State Senate and the House of Representatives chambers this afternoon.
Some remained peaceful as they entered the Senate building – while others shouted at officers trying to enter police-protected areas.
Before crowding into the building, hundreds were seen gathering to chants of “Save our children!” — phrase reportedly reverberating in the state Senate and House of Representatives for days after the city was rocked by a school shooting
Some silently filled the Senate Chamber – while others shouted at officials trying to move through the building. Children held up signs referencing Monday’s attack, which was carried out by a transgender person
Two teenage protesters yell “do something” at Republican Rep. Jeremy Faison and urge Congress to pass more restrictive gun laws
Protesters are seen outside the Tennessee State Capitol Building earlier in the day
Hundreds of school children, teenagers and parents gathered for the procession three days after a gunman opened fire on Covenant School to protest current gun laws
The protesters eventually broke into the state legislature building, with some officers tasked with keeping the peace
A group of more than a hundred protesters are seen in the hallways of the building on Thursday – two days before an alleged “march” in front of the US Supreme Court
A much larger group of more than 1,000 were and are still stationed outside, begging the Republican-dominated legislature to change current gun laws
Two young girls hold signs warning of Monday’s shooting, which killed three nine-year-old students and three school staff
The procession came less than a day after nineteen were arrested and charged with third-degree criminal trespassing following the protests in Kentucky, which also saw protesters enter the state building
A teenager is seen raising his sign in support of tougher gun laws during the rally held to ‘end gun violence’.
The Nashville demonstration served as a preview of what Washington officials may face after the weekend — with footage from the scene showing hundreds descending on Tennessee’s main Legislative Building
The procession appeared outside the Capitol on Wednesday morning as state employees made their way to work to begin collecting bills for the first time since the shooting
Revelers waited on the steps of the Capitol as state officials began making their way inside
Protesters in Nashville are calling for action by the gun control legislature following Monday’s shooting
Several young children were spotted in the hallways of the Senate building, where police officers were stationed to prevent people from gaining access to other areas
Most remained peaceful while others fought with officials tasked with containing the unrest
One group carries signs calling for increased gun control – a call that has been voiced in several other states since the shooting
A protester believed to be a teenage boy holds a sign in front of the Tennessee Capitol during the demonstration, which comes amid a string of mass shootings over the past decade
Officials attempted to limit the rally to certain areas, but two Democratic lawmakers caused a temporary shutdown while attending the celebration. State Senator Charlene Oliver is seen here leading chants of “power to the people” through a megaphone
Officials attempted to limit the rally to certain areas, but two Democratic lawmakers caused a temporary shutdown while attending the celebration.
“Power to the people,” State Senator Charlene Oliver was heard shouting through a megaphone — a chant emphatically repeated by hundreds of others gathered inside the house.
Most remained peaceful while others fought with officials tasked with containing the unrest.
During the general disorder, several young children were spotted in the Capitol building, some stationed in the Senate chamber gallery — farther from the more heated displays in the building’s hallways and home.