Chaotic Scene at Butte St. Patrick’s Day Parade as Protester Disrupts Zinke Float
Anti-Zinke protester yells, strikes parade-goer with sign as parents shield children
By Roy McKenzie
Mar 17, 2025
BUTTE, Mont. – A woman caused a disturbance at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Butte on Sunday, aggressively trailing Congressman Ryan Zinke’s float while shouting obscenities and arguing with parade-goers. The incident, captured on video and shared by Zinke’s spokeswoman Heather Swift, shows the woman carrying a homemade protest sign and repeatedly yelling “Zinke sucks” as families and children lined the parade route.
The protester’s sign bore the phrases “FU ZINKE” and “ZINKE YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED TRUMP FIRED YOU” in large lettering. At one point, she is seen slapping an individual at the parade with her sign while continuing her verbal tirade. The crowd reacted with visible discomfort as the woman engaged in heated exchanges with attendees.
Law enforcement officers were flanking the float as she followed along, shouting and gesturing. A particularly tense moment occurred when the protester lashed out near a group of children, prompting a mother to pull her child away from the escalating confrontation. As tensions rose, the woman snapped at one mother who was pointing to her child, shouting, “This is an adult situation,” in apparent response to concerns about children witnessing the altercation.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Butte is traditionally a family-friendly event, drawing large crowds from across Montana. The incident has sparked reactions online, with some condemning the protester’s behavior as disruptive and inappropriate, while others defended her right to free speech.
Editors Note: A previous version of this article mentioned that investigative reporter Casey Whalen suggested the protester in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade video may be Cherilyn DeVries. Ms. DeVries has confirmed that she was not the individual in the video. We have removed her name from the article and regret any confusion this may have caused.
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She was assaulting people why was she not arrested?
Is it so difficult to let one moment in one day just be about family and not angry politics?
Yes, there is free speech. However, there’s also decorum to be expected, & in this case, she was out-of-line in every way. First of all, it’s celebrating a long-lived Butte holiday with families & kids everywhere, wanting to enjoy the special day. She certainly left a mark of ruining it for some along with obviously probably scaring some little ones. No forgiveness for this – find something productive to do.