BEAUFORT, S.C. () — Three people were arrested and charged in the Lowcountry for wearing masks during the “No Kings” protests Saturday.

Thousands of individuals crowded the streets this weekend throughout our area as part of the so-called “No Kings” protests happening across the country. Questions have arisen regarding the mask laws in Georgia and South Carolina after the arrests in Savannah and the Lowcountry.

In the Lowcountry, organizers in Beaufort reported that approximately 1,500 people attended their No Kings protest, marking it as the largest national protest in the city’s history.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office stated that three individuals were arrested and charged for wearing masks during the protests. The arrested individuals were Donald Edwards and Gael Merida, both at the Hilton Head event, and a third individual, Brian Crane, who was arrested in Bluffton.

received footage from Edwards’ arrest. Watch it below:

Protesters filled nearly half a mile of sidewalk, from City Hall to the Beaufort County Government Building.

Reportedly, around 1,000 people gathered at the Hilton Head Island event. 

More people gathered in Bluffton, including some from the Hilton Head and Beaufort events after theirs ended.

South Carolina has an almost identical law to Georgia regarding wearing masks in public. In South Carolina however, you aren’t allowed to wear a mask for medical reasons unless there is an active pandemic, epidemic or lawfully declared state of emergency.