TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried and Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book have been charged with trespassing after refusing to leave a protest in Tallahassee against a bill to ban abortions after six weeks.
The two women were among a small group of protestors arrested late Monday near the state Capitol building and charged with misdemeanor trespass.
During a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Fried spoke about the ongoing abortion ban with other protestors given the chance to speak out to the public.
"I am telling everybody in our state, you have the power to make the difference," the chairwoman said. "You have the power to make sure you're registering to vote, that you're turning out to vote..."
Fried went on to say they will be making sure the entire state of Florida, the country and the world understand what is happening here in the state.
"To the women who believe that they don't need to worry about this because they may have the resources to travel out of the state of Florida, this is coming to you," she said. "Every single woman and ally in the nation needs to wake up and see this is the reality here in the South, and it'll be your own reality if you don't stand united with us.
"We will continue to show up, we will continue to vote..."
The Monday night demonstration came hours after the Republican-controlled state Senate approved a proposal to ban abortions after six weeks. The bill, which has the backing of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, is expected to pass the Legislature and become law.
Videos on social media show people chanting “shame” as officers led protestors away in handcuffs. The Tallahassee Police Department issued a statement that said protestors were told they would have to leave after sunset, but 11 people refused to go and were arrested for trespassing.