FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear said he won’t be bullied by protestors upset with his restrictions put in place because of the coronavirus.
"I will not be afraid. I will not be bullied. And I will not back down," Beshear said. "Not to them and not to anybody else."
A group of protestors, some armed, rallied at the Capitol Saturday and marched onto the Governor’s Mansion.
Beshear said he knew moving to the Governor’s Mansion after he was elected would be an adjustment, but he didn’t think he’d have to worry about his kids’ safety.
"While i thought, and i knew, that kids from time to time would probably be mean to them just because of who their dad was, I did not consider that they might be bullied or heckled by grown adults," Beshear said. "And then Sunday happened."
The rally Sunday was similar to other rallies at the capitol since the coronavirus started. This one though included an effigy of Gov. Beshear, a message Beshear believes was meant to intimidate him.
He said he won’t back down, and he’s not leaving the governor’s mansion, either.
"I’m not going to let a bunch of jerks change the way we’re going to live our life," Beshear said.
Beshear also criticized some lawmakers for encouraging the protestors— without calling them out by name.
"You cannot fan the flames and then condemn the fire," Beshear said.
Kentucky is slowly reopening but with several restrictions, all aimed at slowing down the spread of the coronavirus.
Beshear says he just wants people, whether they agree with him or not, to be safe.
"After everything that has happened this weekend, do we still think it’s too much to wear a mask? To protect our fellow human being?" Beshear asked. "I wear it to protect my family. I think other people should wear it to protect theirs."
Beshear specifically called out members of the Kentucky Three Percenters, a right-wing militia group, for their role in the effigy and the protest.
Spectrum News 1 has reached out to the group multiple times through its website and social media channels and has not received a response.