29 February 2024
Fourteen protesters were cited for trespassing Wednesday evening after they hopped a fence outside the temporary residence of Gov. Tim Walz in St. Paul, officials say.
The Minnesota State Patrol said about 100 people had gathered outside the Eastcliff mansion on Mississippi River Boulevard, where a pro-Palestinian advocacy organization was holding a protest demanding that state pension funds be divested from companies linked to Israel.
Shortly before 5:30 p.m., 12 women and two men climbed over the fence surrounding Eastcliff, where Walz and his family are living while the official governor’s residence on Summit Avenue undergoes renovations, according to State Patrol Lt. Jill Frankfurth.
“We support the right to exercise ones’ First Amendment rights, but jumping a fence and trespassing on private property is not the way to do that,” Frankfurth said in an email. “This type of behavior will not be tolerated and enforcement action will be taken.”
State Patrol troopers, who were assisted by St. Paul police officers, did not use force during the incident and no injuries were reported, Frankfurth said.
The State Patrol provides personal protection and security services for the governor and other state officials.
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