Youngkin dodges anti-DOGE protesters outside Virginia church

Patrick Henry delivered the revolutionary rally cry heard around the world: "Give me liberty or give me death!" Protesters sang their own rallying cry on Sunday, at the very site where the Founding Father urged Virginia colonists to join the American Revolution 250 years ago. 

After delivering remarks at the annual enactment of Henry's iconic speech, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Va., was met by loud boos, "shame" chants and protest cries while exiting St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia. Protesters held up signs like "deport Musk" and "Youngkin is a Trumpkin" as the governor was escorted through the raucous crowd by law enforcement. 

The "250 Years of No Kings in America" protest in Patrick Henry Park was organized by Indivisible Richmond, a group focused on "local opposition to the MAGA agenda." While Youngkin didn't stop to debate the protesters shouting at him, he addressed them during his speech inside. 

"There are Virginians and there are Americans who are standing up for freedom and liberty, and I just want to once again thank all of you who care so deeply about our commonwealth and our country's future. Now, you might have noticed that there are some enthusiastic friends outside. Don't worry about them because I am happy to do whatever it takes to get someone to church on Sunday," Youngkin said. 

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Youngkin – a Trump ally who rose to political fame for defending parental rights – invoked Henry's fight for freedom and liberty during his speech, as protesters danced to the tune of their own definition of democracy outside. 

Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, with a megaphone from the bed of a truck, shouted about President Abraham Lincoln's leadership during the Civil War as protesters flooded the sidewalks around the church. She spoke in front of an upside-down American flag, which under U.S. Flag Code, should only be used "as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property."

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"We resisted King George. We will resist Trump," the flier for Sunday's protest said, comparing the resistance of President Donald Trump to the American Revolution. 

The Reddit user who organized the protest said: "Trump continuously violated the Constitution, declared himself the sole legal authority in the land, and called himself ‘KING.' Trump must be removed from office!"

While anti-Trump protesters used the anniversary of Henry's speech to resist Trump, Trump celebrated the 250th anniversary of Henry's address to the Second Virginia Convention with a proclamation. 

"I signed a proclamation a few minutes ago honoring the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry's famous speech to the Second Virginia Convention in which he declared the very well-known, very famous words, ‘Give me liberty or give me death.' Has anyone heard the phrase? I think most of you have," Trump said. 

"Give me liberty or give me death!" has been a rallying cry for protesters during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, by Malcom X during the Civil Rights movement and by those who opposed COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in 2020. The phrase was first used by Henry in the run-up to the American Revolution to persuade Virginia colonists to prepare for war against Great Britain. 

Trump evoked Henry's notorious line during his criminal trial last year. "Give me liberty or give me death," he wrote in all caps on Truth Social, after Judge Juan Merchan said he would consider jail time for Trump if he continued to violate his gag order. 

Protests resisting Trump's executive authority and Elon Musk's leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been staged in the two months since he returned to office. Progressive groups also hosted "Not My Presidents Day" or "No Kings Day" demonstrations on Presidents Day across the country. Democrats have increasingly accused the Trump administration of "oligarchy" and "authoritarianism."

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Last week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill., during "A Better Way Forward" conversation at the Center for American Progress, urged Democrats to fight and defend America's constitutional republic from the "incompetence" and "treachery" of President Donald Trump. 

The Democratic governor, who compared the current political climate to Nazi Germany during his State of the State address in February, warned of Trump's "authoritarian rule" last Tuesday. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has drawn thousands of supporters to his "Fighting Oligarchy" rallies across the country, with record-setting West Coast stops alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., over the weekend. 

The events are billed as an opportunity to "discuss how we take on the greed of the billionaire class and create a government that works for all and not just the few."

Indivisible Richmond, Youngkin and the White House did reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment.