GOP Convention Protests Are On Despite Shooting At Trump Rally

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Activists gathering in Milwaukee for the start of the Republican National Convention say the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump won’t affect their long-standing plans to demonstrate outside the convention site this week.

A diverse range of organizations and activists is expected outside the downtown Fiserv Forum. The largest expected demonstration was slated to start Monday morning. The Coalition to March on the RNC, comprised largely of local groups, planned to protest for access to abortion rights, for immigrant rights, and against the war in Gaza among other issues.

“The shooting has nothing to do with us,” said Omar Flores, a coalition spokesman, speaking about the Saturday evening shots fired at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. “We’re going to continue with the march as we planned.”

The U.S. Secret Service has said security plans — in the works for more than a year — remain the same after the Saturday shooting in which Trump has said his ear was pierced by a bullet and images show blood streaming from a wound. A nearby audience member was fatally shot and two others critically injured in the assault, which has prompted widespread calls to evaluate security measures.

The progressive coalition protesting the RNC has touted their Monday demonstrations as “family friendly.” Organizers expect an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 attendees. Separately, the Philadelphia-based Poor People’s Army, which organizes for economic justice, plans an afternoon march. Smaller organizations also plan to demonstrate inside parks closer to the convention site where Trump is set to officially accept the party’s presidential nomination later this week.

Milwaukee’s leaders reiterated their