As leftists prepare for a round of protests this weekend, Republicans are warning that a violent intent is driving some activists hiding behind the First Amendment.
As noted by CNN, organizers say that more than 2,500 protests of varying sizes will take place in a repeat of the initial “No Kings” protests that took place in June.
But Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said in a Newsmax interview posted to X that the left’s track record shows their protests are often not peaceful.
“Free speech is free speech, but when it turns to violence, which a lot of times these rallies go to, then the very people that are going to have to protect the property, they’re mostly going to be federal officers, especially inside Washington, D.C.,” he said.
“It could be costing us, because of the Democrats, could be costing taxpayers close to $1 billion a day to be shut down.”
— Oklahoma @SenMullin@SharlaMcBride @Marc_Lotter pic.twitter.com/lYAxQk5dJ8
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) October 17, 2025
“We know their rallies get very violent. Ours do not. The Republican side’s do not,” he said.
“They’ll burn down buildings, they will riot offices, they will riot stores, they turn over cars, they vandalize police cars, and so that’s not protected in the Constitution. So when someone throws out the Constitution, I want them to understand what it is that they’re actually describing,” he said.
Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas has said that “professional protesters” and “agitators” will lead the protests that bring together “pro-Hamas” and “Antifa people,” according to CNN.
Do you think the rallies will be peaceful?
“We’ll have to get the National Guard out,” Marshall said. “Hopefully it’ll be peaceful. I doubt it.”
A Department of Homeland Security intelligence report said it is “concerned” about weekend violence “based on several events in the United States in 2025.”
“Throughout these events, we observed behavioral indicators associated with violence and geopolitical developments that have historically driven violence at similar events,” a memo to local police agencies said.
The memo warned against protesters “with a history of exploiting lawful protests to engage in violence” and “protesters or counter-protesters engaging in harassing or intimidating behavior, which may escalate to physical violence.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said radical groups are likely to be part of the protests, according to WBFF-TV.
“I am all about free speech. I’m all about protest. It’s the great American way,” Duffy said. “I am concerned about who is funding this. Who is paying for it? Who is organizing it?”
Duffy cited the Sept. 10 assassination of Charlie Kirk as he noted “we see more political violence on the rise.”
“He was shot because of the words that he was using. In America, we don’t do that,” Duffy said. “In a democracy, you debate, you argue, but you don’t pick up sticks and rocks and guns and kill each other.”
Duffy said the “No Kings” protests are a “mischaracterization of the country and how Donald Trump actually came to power.”
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