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A Florida sheriff has issued a stern warning to protesters planning violence towards law enforcement officials as the United States braces for a wave of anti-Trump administration demonstrations.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey cautioned against violent behavior during the upcoming “No Kings” protests expected across the country this weekend during a news conference alongside Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
“Throw a brick, firebomb or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at,” Ivey said. “Because we will kill you graveyard dead. We’re not going to play.”
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Uthmeier also weighed in on the upcoming protests, urging Floridians to prioritize their safety if they get caught in the middle of a demonstration.
“If you’re a family out there, you’re driving and all of a sudden you get surrounded by one of these angry demonstrations that’s turned violent,” Uthmeier said. “You don’t need to sit there and wait while people smash your window and damage your vehicle and put your family in jeopardy. Just drive, get yourself out of harm’s way.”
Ivey pointed to the ongoing chaos at anti-immigration protests throughout major cities across the country, before saying he “doesn’t want to hear any whining later saying ‘we didn’t know.’”
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“As you watch these riots unfold across the country,” Ivey said, “what you are seeing is buildings being burned down, police cars being bricked, having explosive devices thrown at them, having guns pointed at them, bricks thrown at them.”
Uthmeier went on to echo the statements from Ivey, adding, “we’re grateful to have a great president and a governor that respects rule of law. In Florida, you’re not going to see anything like you’re seeing in California.”
The words of warning from officials come as authorities around the country are gearing up for a weekend of “No Kings” protests, which were organized by the 50501 Movement in response to President Donald Trump’s inauguration earlier this year. The protests are scheduled to coincide with Trump’s 79th birthday and an Army parade on Saturday, with organizers vowing the movement will remain peaceful.
The 50501 Movement did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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“President Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday,” the organization’s website states. “A spectacle meant to look like strength. But real power isn’t staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else.”
Officials are expecting two protests within Brevard County, according to Florida Today.
“Florida will never be California,” Uthmeier said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Rioting is illegal in our state and our law enforcement are on full alert this weekend. If anyone participates in violent rioting, threatens or injures law enforcement, damages businesses or property or obstructs traffic, we will ensure you will see the back of a jail cell and prosecute you to the fullest. Florida stands by President Trump, ICE and the rule of law.”
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Ivey closed the department’s warning by acknowledging that peaceful protests “are part of our democracy.”
“Stand on the mountaintops and yell your opinion,” Ivey said. “We invite that. But don’t go breaking the law, because it won’t go well for you.”
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