“This is what we get,” says the author of a bill that would have increased penalties for protesters blocking freeways, airports and public transit — legislation that Governor Mark Dayton vetoed. The comment by Republican Representative Nick Zerwas from Elk River comes the day that protests against deporting immigrants shut down Blue Line light rail in Minneapolis for over an hour Tuesday morning, resulting in 18 arrests.
Zerwas says, “The governor emboldened protesters to continue their criminal activity.” He says Dayton by his veto “aligned himself with fringe activists” with “political pandering” taking priority over Minnesotans’ safety. He adds in order to appease a “really far-left activist base,” the governor encouraged criminal behavior by not wanting to dissuade it.
There’s no immediate response from the governor’s office.