You shouldn’t need a “permit” to protest. PERIOD.
As an individual only, I would agree. However if you are organizing for a group, you need permits and to manage the event for the safe of people’s safety.
You don’t. You can protest in your yard or pasture any time you want.
The “permit” is supposed to be for insuring that there’s an agreement between your group and the town for the use of public facilities... parks, courthouse steps, etc., and to arrange police protection, traffic direction, adequate waste disposal, cleanup crews, etc... so your protest doesn’t interfere with citizens’ business and doesn’t go on indefinitely. Other citizens have rights too, not just protestors.
Obviously liberal mayors failed to grasp the concept and in this case abused their power by denying a permit because they disagreed with the opinions to be expressed, and worse, neglected to provide traffic direction and security for those they did permit.