A protest in Farmington organized to support local businesses has sparked outrage after a protester turned a New Mexico flag into a symbol that represents hate.

One of the organizers says this was all put on to support the small businesses in their area, as San Juan County remains on tight restrictions because of the high number of Covid cases in the county. “If the big box stores can open, and they were open 100 percent right away. Why can’t all businesses open safely? That’s kind of how it started, was just to help our local businesses, at least open a tiny bit,” said Shannon Carter.

Carter, family members, and friends who own small businesses organized the protest. She says several hundred people showed up and it was a good, peaceful protest.

San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari was also there, taking pictures with attendees, however, he has said it was simply to keep the peace. But it was a man holding the New Mexico flag turned into a swastika, that’s been raising eyebrows. The sign says, “what’s next concentration camps?”

Carter says she didn’t hear about the man with the flag until this morning. “I heard that it was against our governor that she’s acting like a Nazi, or turning our state into a Nazi state. It wasn’t a white supremacist move, but I can’t speak for him. We didn’t invite him personally, but that’s what I heard it was about. We would never ever, ever support anything else,” Carter said.

The Governor’s press secretary responded saying it’s a disgusting use of Nazi imagery and rhetoric discussing the essential actions that have been taken by the Governor to slow the spread of the virus and save lives. It goes on to say in part, “I encourage those making comparisons to a genocidal dictatorship to stay home in order to keep slowing the spread of COVID-19 and read a history book.”