MADISON, Ala. (WHNT) — North Alabama residents chanted outside the Movement Church Thursday night after a “Quarterly Meet-up with Dale Strong”, advertised as a public event, turned private.
The Republican Women of Madison hosted the speaking engagement with Congressman Strong. Event attendees said the group posted on both their Facebook page and the Movement Church’s website that it was a public event. Those attendees said they were turned away at the door without warning, with law enforcement officials stating that the event is now private.
“We noticed that there were a number of people standing outside, and I wasn’t sure whether they were just waiting to go in,” Event attendee Pete Robertson said. “So the closer we got, we heard that you would not be admitted unless you had an RSVP. And I got a flyer in the mail from a friend, and it said nothing about an RSVP needed.”
Republican Women of Madison President Sheila Banister told News 19 the group decided to make the event private due to prior protests at speaking engagements across the country, and wanted members of the group to feel safe at the event. A full statement from Banister is below.
Robertson said he wanted to hear Congressman Strong speak on changes happening in Washington that could impact industry at home, and did not have ulterior motives in his attendance.
“A region that is extremely blessed with high tech, with diversity and science, engineering, biotech. And there have been a number of challenges from the administration in terms of the ability of these institutions around here to function,” Robertson said.
In a statement to News 19, a spokesperson from Rep. Strong’s Office said he was honored to speak at the event and expressed concerns over the protestors’ legitimacy.
““The Congressman was honored to be invited to speak to members of the Republican Women of Madison. It’s unfortunate that we continue to see Soros funded protesters attempting to disrupt and intimidate Republican volunteer organizations and their members at events such as this.”
News 19 could not confirm if the protestors were being paid.
Those who were turned away at the door waited outside the Movement Church for hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of Congressman Strong. He was swiftly escorted into a car when the event ended.
The full statement from Banister is available below:
“As stated on our website, the Republican Women of Madison is an organization that unites women of all ages as we strive to be key influencers and informed voters in our community at the local, state, and national levels. Our club is designed to provide opportunities for our members to educate themselves on Republican issues and candidates, develop friendships with like-minded neighbors, and impact the community through volunteer and campaigning activities. We host monthly luncheons, quarterly night meetings, and have special events on occasion. Generally speaking, all of our events are advertised on our Facebook page and open to visitors who are interested in learning more about the subject being addressed.
Our quarterly meeting, held earlier tonight, was no different initially. Earlier this week, we were notified that the Democratic Party of Madison/Indivisible had been advertising our event as a Public Town Hall, which it was never called that in any of RWM communications. We were also advised about the number of people and the behavior of this group at recent events across the state and country. Our priority and obligation is to the members of our group to ensure the mission of our club and the safety of our members. Based on the information we received and seeing the chatter on social media, we decided to close the event to local Republican membership and their guests.
While we recognize that many people from these groups were frustrated by our decision, we felt it was in the best interest of our organization to ensure the intent of the meeting was met and that our members felt safe while attending.
We are grateful to Congressman Strong for speaking to our group. He covered a lot of material and gave a thorough update. We appreciate the members, staff, and security team of the Movement church for their graciousness in allowing us to use their venue. Finally, we appreciate Chief Grandy, the Madison Police Department, and the Madison County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance tonight in keeping the peace and ensuring the safety of all.”
Republican Women of Madison President Sheila Banister
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the Madison Police Office were both present on the scene.
The post Only on News 19: Protest erupts when Rep. Strong event becomes private appeared first on WHNT.
