Montana thwarts upcoming 'No Kings' event by quietly outlawing weekend rallies at the Capitol grounds [View all]

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https://apnews.com/article/montana-general-news-district-of-columbia-helena-28a9730977bea9e3e4f6ebfb18cb0415

Montana halts permitting on all weekend rallies at Capitol, thwarts upcoming ‘No Kings’ event

Organizers of the upcoming “No Kings” rally in Helena say that a new state rule banning permits for weekend rallies on the Capitol grounds violates their First Amendment rights. State officials countered that the new rule, quietly instituted just last month, was intended to save money.

The update to permitting guidelines on the Montana.gov site, which has not been previously reported, states that public events requiring a permit “may only occur on weekdays and between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., excluding holidays.”

The revisions apply to all state-owned or leased spaces or grounds at the Capitol Complex. The policy requires a permit for any public event that uses “state resources, requires setup of any structures, materials, displays, or requires clean-up.” A public event is defined as “any event that is open to the public and to which the public will have full access.”

The Capitol Complex has long been a preferred location for protests, government press conferences, ceremonies and other public gatherings, including “No Kings” rallies that have drawn thousands of protestors to Helena, most recently on a Saturday last October. The next nationwide “No Kings” rally is scheduled for Saturday, March 28.