Thousands of Protesters Gather in Washington D.C. To Rally Against Pres. Joe Biden's Vaccine Mandate
Thousands of protesters gathered in Washington D.C. on Sunday to rally against President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate.
According to The Daily Mail, most of the protesters were not wearing face masks in defiance of rules imposed by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to combat the spread of the COVID-19. Bowser implemented masks outdoors for people who have not had their COVID vaccine yet.
Washington Examiner reported that the demonstrators gathered around the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial with signs and banners against Biden's embattled vaccine mandates raised by the protesters. The Metropolitan Police Department told The Hill that no arrests had been made as of late Sunday afternoon.
Rally organizers predicted that around 20,000 people would attend the event, but media outlets noted that a smaller crowd of a few thousand only gathered.
Protesters Gather in Washington D.C.
According to reports, the protesters were composed of pro-vaccine but anti-mandate and others who were both anti-vaccine and anti-mandate. Many elderly and babies in strollers were also spotted in the event.
Public employees, Feds for Medical Freedom, and at least 200 representing the D.C. Firefighters Bodily Autonomy Affirmation Group were also in attendance.
About 10 men wearing the insignia for "Proud Boys," an extremist group involved in the January 6 Capitol insurrection, were also present at the event.
"The goal is to show a unified front of bringing people together - vaccinated, unvaccinated, Democrats, Republicans, all together in solidarity," event organizer Matt Tune said.
The crowd of protesters also appeared to carry flags saying, "Don't tread on me," and creative signs decrying the vaccine passport, mask mandates, and mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for school-age children.
"Freedoms and mandates don't really go hand in hand. We've all seen the pandemic, we can all make the decision that's safe enough for us," protester Stephanie from Maryland said.
Aside from Joe Biden, protesters also blasted top health officials of the Biden administration. A bus with photos of the president, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, with "Wanted" signs above their heads, was recorded.
Hatred for Fauci was also on display as one protester, identified as Nick from West Virginia, held up a large sign that reads "Fire Fauci." On the back of his fire Fauci sign, a list of villains such as Cruella DeVil, Thanos, and Voldemort were written, saying that Fauci is worse than the fictional antagonists.
"I'm not against vaccines. I'm just against mandating them. We have freedom of choice in this country, or at least we should," said Nick, who has been vaccinated.
Joe Biden's Vaccine Mandate
Joe Biden's vaccine mandate was announced last fall, requiring companies with more than 100 or more employees to ensure their workers get a COVID-19 vaccine or undergo weekly testing. The same goes for the federal workers and contractors.
However, the Supreme Court blocked the said mandate, noting that the vaccine mandate "exceeded" the Biden administration's authority. Following the high court's decision, some employers began walking back their vaccine requirements on their workers.
The protests in Washington D.C. came after the U.S. faced a new wave of COVID-19 cases, exacerbated by the emergence of the Omicron variant.
CDC reported that the U.S. currently has a seven-day average of more than 716,000 new COVID cases.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Joshua Summers
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