(Bloomberg) -- Virginia’s Governor Ralph Northam declared a temporary state of emergency ahead of expected demonstrations in Richmond on Monday and prohibited all weapons from the state’s capitol grounds until Jan. 21.
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Citing intelligence analysts, the governor’s office said in a statement on Wednesday that out-of-state militia groups were planning to attend the event that has been surrounded by credible threats of violence and white nationalist rhetoric.
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“We support citizens’ rights to peacefully protest and express their views to their elected officials,” Northam said in a tweet. “But we must also keep the public, as well as those who work around Capitol Square, safe.”
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