Upset over ABC’s removal of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, about 40 protesters gathered in front of Fresno’s ABC station Monday.

Standing on the sidewalk in front of ABC30’s studios west of downtown, protesters held signs blaming the network for capitulating to threats from the Trump administration.

“We’re disappointed ABC capitulated to a fascist regime,” said Patty Cappelluti of Central Valley Indivisible, which organized the protest.

ABC suspended Kimmel last week, after off-color remarks following the assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk. Kimmel also used Kirk’s death as springboard for jokes about President Trump.

However, ABC’s parent company said Tuesday that the comedian will return to the air on Tuesday.

After further discussions with the late-night host, “we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” The Walt Disney Company said.

Related Story: Disney Says Jimmy Kimmel Will Return to the Air Tuesday

Suspension Comes After FCC Chair’s Comments

FCC Chair Brendan Carr criticized ABC, suggesting Kimmel should be removed for his remarks.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said.

The ABC network owns and operates ABC30, and Disney owns ABC.

Two of the country’s biggest television station owners — Nexstar and Sinclair — said they would pull Kimmel off  their stations if the network didn’t remove him. Both groups own stations in Fresno — Nexstar has KSEE-24 (NBC) and CBS47; Sinclair owns KMPH Fox 26 and CW59.

Cappelluti said that ABC has the right to make its own decision on Kimmel, but said she was worried about the threats from Carr.

She distinguished those threats from accusations of censorship under the Biden administration, saying it was different because it was not a personal grievance.

Monica Etheridge of Clovis said she watched Kimmel every night with her husband.

“Pretty soon we will be just like Russia. We won’t be able to say anything about president, because he’s going to start crying, he’s going to start getting upset. His feelings will be hurt. Well, my feelings were hurt when Jimmy Kimmel got canceled,” Etheridge said.

ABC30 management did not respond to a request for comment.

Building Security

Local security guards would not allow entry into the office or even parking in front of the building.

A woman with a badge identifying herself with Disney Global Security, stood in front of the building.

The FBI arrested a man Saturday in connection to shots fired into the building of the ABC affiliate in Sacramento.