One of the news stories sucking up the most oxygen this week is the huge turnout of angry protesters this week at GOP town halls, ambushes that became town halls, and pretend town halls where members of the resistance shouted through bullhorns at empty folding chairs.
President Donald Trump even tweeted about the “so-called angry crowds,” many of which he claimed were planned by liberal activists. Protesters have gone out of their way on social media and elsewhere to deny the charge, holding up signs reading “Unpaid protester” and, at Sen. Tom Cotton’s town hall at least, holding signs with their ZIP codes on them as proof they weren’t bussed in.
People standing outside the Springdale HS for #CottonTownHall. The numbers are their zip codes. #ARnews pic.twitter.com/DeFxaCRHZY
— Channing Barker (@ChanningBarker) February 22, 2017
Just a quick side note: saying that the protests were planned by liberal activists, such as the organizers of the Indivisible movement, is not the same as saying protesters were paid.
Very likely unpaid but almost certainly driven to Rep. Leonard Lance’s town hall against their consent were a pair of protest llamas that made for a good photo op Wednesday.
Ilamas showed up to @RepLanceNJ7 town hall #NJ07 pic.twitter.com/Le8hqZ3d5R
— Simone Pathe (@sfpathe) February 22, 2017
NEW-llamas join demo at GOP town hall of Rep. Leonard Lance NJ @NBCNewYork @maggieNYT #politics pic.twitter.com/cNmkcIqaoA
— Brian Thompson (@brian4NY) February 22, 2017
ugh, paid protestors ? https://t.co/dk1sqPf2Os
— Andrew Cunningham (@AndrewWrites) February 22, 2017
There are PROTEST LLAMAS at my hometown-Congressman's town hall. https://t.co/v7BjbGW5so
— Ashley Wilson (@APdubs) February 23, 2017
I swear to god I would show up at any protest with llamas. #realtalk https://t.co/awvroex428
— ok mara (@shandy_d) February 22, 2017
um if you can get paid to protest with decked-out llamas, hit me up. I do not care what we're protesting but you have to provide the llamas
— Rachel Alexander (@rachelwalexande) February 23, 2017
You know when llamas join the protest, that they mean business! https://t.co/Gi1sqx9qtR
— ❀jess❀ (@eph_jess) February 23, 2017
People on both sides of the political aisle certainly can agree that llamas are a fine addition to just about any event, the resistance seems to have adopted llamas and alpacas as their protest companion of choice, and they were a hit at Trump’s inauguration too.
I think the best thing I saw today was this dude walking his llamas in protest #Inauguration
— Katie Rogers (@ktrogers1) January 20, 2017
Alpacas join blockade against Trump at D and 7th! AWESOME #J20 pic.twitter.com/wWf1oZ4iC9
— harryhalpin (@harryhalpin) January 20, 2017
the llamas are owned by Ethan who "wants to take back our farms, food, families, and freedom." He says the llamas love to march/do it a lot pic.twitter.com/PDxhnNlsHg
— Charlie Warzel (@cwarzel) January 20, 2017
dad: "wait why were there llamas"
me: "they were protest llamas"
dad: "you are fucking shitting me"— Shoshana Weissmann, Sloth Committee Chair ? (@senatorshoshana) January 20, 2017
Who the hell brings llamas to a protest https://t.co/WfHE6STJk8
— Clayton Adams (@Claydog_15) January 20, 2017
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