A co-president of Public Citizen, one of the main organizers behind this weekend’s “No Kings” protests, rejected claims that the movement had turned violent, saying its goal is to promote unity rather than hostility. She added that the demonstrations are intended to defend democracy and push back against executive overreach.
Lisa Gilbert, a co-president of Public Citizen, told Fox News Digital, "The idea that America is a democracy is, at its core, small-'d' democratic. It’s not [the] Democrat [party]; it’s not [the] Republican [party]," she said. "It is the idea that we have a system that is based on checks and balances, where we understand that our elected officials answer to us. And that our votes count and matter."
"At its core that is what this ["No Kings"] is all about. And why people are turning out," she added.
While the "No Kings" protests from earlier this summer were overwhelmingly peaceful, several turned violent leading to several arrests and at least one death.
Gilbert argued that organizers are simply unable to control the actions of every individual who participates, but said that her organization helps to provide demonstrators with safety training and guidance.
"We can't let the militarization that they are bringing to bear cow us. We need to be willing to stand up; silence is not an option. And so, turning out to protest peacefully is our First Amendment right and what we plan to do. We are taking precautions to make sure our events are as safe as possible. Obviously, you cannot control every single person, but we are running training [sessions] and protecting people in every way we can," Gilbert said.
"But at its core, these events are peaceful, and that is the point. The violence is not coming from the ‘No Kings’ events; the violence is coming from militarized crackdowns and masked agents who are roaming our streets to terrorize communities. That’s not coming from protesters."
The possibility of paid agitators and professional protesters with different goals in mind than the organizers remains a disturbing possibility for this weekend's protests.