Minnesota GOP Chair Criticizes Protesters for Displaying KKK-themed Sign During Event

<p>The chairman of Minnesota's Republican Party has accused protesters of racial intimidation following a disruption at a GOP dinner where demonstrators displayed a sign referencing the Ku Klux Klan while the state's first Black female House speaker spoke. </p><p>Minnesota GOP Chair Alex Plechash criticized the protesters in a statement after the Lincoln Reagan Dinner held in Eagan on Friday night, where a sign reading "RepubliKKKan Party" was shown during remarks by House Speaker and Republican gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth.</p><p>"Last night, radical protesters stormed the stage at our Lincoln Reagan Dinner and held up a KKK symbol while Speaker Lisa Demuth spoke," Plechash stated in a post on X by the Republican Party of Minnesota.</p><p>He added, "Let's be clear about what happened. Left leaning protesters aimed a symbol of racial terror at a Black woman leader, at a dinner named for the president who ended slavery." </p><p>The Sunrise Movement Twin Cities, a progressive activist organization, claimed responsibility for the disruption, stating that the demonstration aimed to protest Republican policies they believe harm immigrants and marginalized communities, according to local news station KTSP.</p><p>"We disrupted this fundraiser because we refuse to give a moment's peace to the people bankrolling racial violence," the group said in a statement cited by the outlet.</p><p>The organization clarified that it was not affiliated with Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).</p><p>Video footage of the incident shows demonstrators moving toward the front of the room holding signs, including one with the letters "KKK" highlighted in red, according to the outlet.</p><p>One protester was heard shouting, "You love Trump and you will not stand up for Minnesotans," while Demuth was on stage holding a microphone.</p><p>As security escorted the demonstrators away, attendees began chanting, "Lisa," followed by chants of, "USA." </p><p>Plechash noted that the protesters gained access to the dinner by purchasing tickets and passing through security checkpoints.</p><p>He reported that the event experienced two disruptions, the first during remarks by Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michele Tafoya and the second while Demuth was speaking.</p><p>Plechash estimated that three or four protesters pushed toward the front of the room during Demuth's remarks, and he stated that the disruption lasted about 30 seconds without posing a physical threat.</p><p>He mentioned that Eagan police issued trespass orders and that potential charges were under investigation.</p><p>Plechash also criticized Minnesota Democrats, specifically naming the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.</p><p>"Intimidation, criminal behavior, and racist rhetoric have no place in Minnesota politics," Plechash wrote.</p><p>He added, "Republicans debate ideas, and we'd welcome the DFL to show up and do the same. Every hour they stay silent says something. Their silence is deafening." </p><p>Demuth, who won Minnesota's Republican gubernatorial primary in August, is set to face Klobuchar, the Democratic nominee, in the upcoming election to succeed Gov. Tim Walz.</p>