Protestors marched on Trenton to protest restrictions imposed by Gov. Murphy to slow the spread of COVID-19 for the second time this month on Tuesday.
The crowd of about 200 President Donald Trump supporters, anti-vaxx activists and gun rights supporters chanted outside the Statehouse Annex, calling on Murphy to lift orders closing state and county parks and allow businesses shuttered by the pandemic to begin reopening.
“Liberty is essential,” they chanted, later turning to cries that said “Murphy is not essential.”
The rally began in front of the annex and eventually moved to the Trenton War Memorial, where Murphy holds his daily coronavirus briefings.
The governor did not move to condemn the protests, saying the protestors were within their rights, but added that he still had concerns about people congregating as the number of new COVID-19 cases reported each day begins to drop.
“I don’t begrudge anyone’s right to protest. This is America. We all have first amendment rights, and I don’t begrudge that at all,” he said. “I really wish they would do it at home, because just driving over here, I could see that they’re congregating, and that’s the last thing we need right now”
New Jersey State Police Superintendent Col. Pat Callahan said he was not aware of any citations issued by officers in response to the protest.
The state police, Callahan said, are using a light hand to control the protest with discretion in the front of their minds.
“I spoke to about 10 troopers on my way in here, and that was their posture: To give them the opportunity to protest and assemble but as long as they’re doing it with social distancing in mind,” the colonel said.
Earlier this month, State Police charged Kim Pagan with disorderly persons offense over alleged violations of a stay-at-home order Murphy issued in March.
Few of Tuesday’s protestors paid heed to social distancing guidelines, and only about a quarter of those attending the march wore face coverings of any kind.
A smaller group of protestors who gathered on the opposite side of West State Street gave greater heed to Murphy’s executive orders, though they too joined in on chants claiming Murphy’s restrictions were an echo of fascism.
The governor wasn’t fond of that characterization.
“This notion of fascism is ridiculous,” he said. “We’re trying to save lives.”