Hundreds chant 'Coward!' amid Paul Ryan's Rhode Island visit

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Around 200 people chanted "Coward!" and booed as Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan was attending an event in heavily Democratic Rhode Island.


A heavy police presence kept the crowd across the street Thursday afternoon from a Providence office building, where Ryan was meeting with Year Up, a nonprofit career training organization.

Ryan was not seen entering the building, but a motorcade believed to be carrying him pulled into an alley away from protesters. There is a back entrance there.

The demonstrators say they're protesting the policies of Republicans including Ryan and President Donald Trump. They say they're also demanding that Ryan hold a town hall meeting for his constituents in Wisconsin.

People carried signs that said, "No Ban No Wall" and "Hey! Wisconsin we found him!"