Anti-Islam Speakers Draw Crowds, Protests at Idaho Capitol

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — About 100 people holding "Idaho is too great to hate" signs rallied inside the Idaho Statehouse Thursday evening to protest an anti-Islam and Syrian refugee resettlement presentation.

The demonstration organized by the Interfaith Equality Coalition lined the walls of the Capitol as nearly another 100 people attended the event warning against the dangers of Islamic extremists in America. Christopher Holton of the Center for Security Policy, who spoke at Thursday's presentation, says the government is falling short of protecting the American people.

Presenters invited all 105 state lawmakers to attend, but only a dozen did. Opposition to refugee resettlement has been spreading across pockets in Idaho over the past year as part of the national debate over the vetting of refugees fleeing war-torn Syria and particularly following deadly attacks in San Bernardino, California, and Paris.