'The Squad' reps. decry racial double standard after armed protesters gather at Michigan Capitol

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Michigan city commissioner rebuked for attending stay-at-home protest

Royal Oak, Michigan Commissioner Kim Gibbs is fighting back after being censured for attending a protest against the governor's stay-at-home orders.

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Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., both voiced their opinions about armed protesters gathering at the Michigan Capitol on Thursday and claimed there was a racial double standard being applied to white citizens.

Dozens of state residents, some of whom were armed, showed up to protest Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order, which was poised to be extended due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

In response, Tlaib tweeted, "Black people get executed by police for just existing, while white people dressed like militia members carrying assault weapons are allowed to threaten State Legislators and staff."

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AOC followed up nearly two hours later and painted the protesters as Trump supporters, who were being given special consideration because of their race.

"Think about how harshly #BlackLivesMatter & #AbolishICE activists were debased, called rioters, & treated as a threat to society," she wrote. "Now watch & examine how this MAGA-armed rushing of a state legislature is treated. This is for those who still think racial privilege is a fantasy."

Michigan allows guns inside the Capitol but banned protest signs several years ago.

State House lawmakers eventually adjourned their meeting without taking up the extension, but Whitmer, a Democrat, claimed she had the emergency authority to extend the order regardless of what state lawmakers did.

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This is not the first major protest that's occurred in Michigan over the lockdown. A rally on April 15 called "Operation Gridlock" drew thousands outside Michigan's Capitol, in addition to another gathering outside Whitmer's home.

Fox News' Louis Casiano and Marisa Schultz contributed to this report