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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Refugee issue draws dueling rallies to Idaho Capitol over the weekend

A thousand people rallied in front of the Capitol on Saturday on refugees – 700 attending a rally supporting refugee resettlement, and 300 at a counter-protest opposing it on security grounds, the Idaho Statesman reports. The dueling rallies ran from 11 a.m. to about 1. Statesman reporter Erin Fenner writes that the two groups attempted to shout over each other at times, but also synced up their chants, at one point reciting the Pledge of Allegiance together.

The pro-refugee group heard an address from a Congolese refugee who shared his story; the counter-protesters, organized by the 3 Percenters, said they want to guard against terrorists slipping into the U.S. under the guise of refugees. You can read the Statesman’s full report here, and AP reporter Keith Ridler's full report here.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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