LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke out about the protests at the Capitol in Lansing on Thursday.
Whitmer said they were "disturbing,' saying she saw Confederate flags, swastikas, nooses and more.
Photo gallery: Hundreds gather at the Capitol to protest stay-at-home order
She also thanked Michigan State Police troopers and House and Senate sergeants for keeping people safe.
Some protesters — many without face coverings — entered the Capitol on Thursday and demanded to be let onto the House floor, which is not allowed.
The gallery was closed to the public to allow room for representatives and reporters to spread apart. Some demonstrators in the Senate gallery were openly carrying guns, which is legal in the Statehouse. One senator said some armed men shouted at her, and some senators wore bulletproof vests.
Whitmer talked about how people came together and Detroit became the Arsenal of Democracy to defeat the Nazis. She said now, we must channel the same energy.
She said she knows people are angry and feeling restless, and she respects it.
According to Whitmer, the only way we can take the next steps forward if we all continue to do our part to stay safe.
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