Thousands of firefighters in Los Angeles gathered outside of the Los Angeles City Hall on Sunday.
The firefighters from Los Angeles and other parts of the United States staged a protest called the “defeat mandate rally” in order to raise awareness about how mandates are destroying thousands of first responders’ lives.
Besides firefighters truckers who had previously been part of the People’s Convoy also partook in the demonstrations.
Take a look at the unity amongst the firefighters and truckers:
HAPPENING NOW: | Los Angeles Firefighters March toward downtown Los Angeles where a “Defeat the Mandates” rally is being held.
Over 7,000 Los Angeles first responders are set to lose their jobs over mandates. #defeatthemandates pic.twitter.com/0lmJjA1FpN
— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) April 10, 2022
“WE THE PEOPLE WILL NOT COMPLY. WE THE PEOPLE WILL NOT COMPLY.”
LA Firefighters, some of them fired, others on unpaid leave, lead the March from their fire station to the “Defeat the Mandates” rally.
Doctors, Scientists, and activists have gathered to protest mandates. pic.twitter.com/ulshKKzmNt
— Anthony Cabassa (@AnthonyCabassa_) April 10, 2022
The News Observer had more on the protests:
Thousands of people including truckers and firefighters from across the country gathered Sunday outside Los Angeles City Hall to protest vaccination mandates designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The crowd gathered at Grand Park to hear speakers and performers, while big-rig trucks from the “People’s Convoy” were parked on nearby streets. Members of the convoy jammed traffic during a Washington, D.C., protest earlier this year.
The peaceful crowd gathered to hear speakers and singers and was similar to a rally held at the same spot last year and to others staged around the country.
California battled a deadly winter coronavirus surge linked to the omicron variant but began easing masking and vaccination requirements this year as caseloads and hospitalization rates fell, which public health officials largely attributed to widespread vaccination and other safety measures.
New York firefighter and founder of the group Bravest for Choice, flew out with some teachers, transit operators and others to support local public workers, he said. Schweit said he has been on unpaid leave for five months for failing to comply with New York’s vaccine requirement for public employees.
He believes he had COVID-19 but recovered. “The people that held out this long believe that this is not about a shot. It’s about the freedom to make the choice for yourself for your own bodily autonomy,” Schweit said. “We are 100% not anti-vaccine. We support the individual. We believe the threat to the individual is a threat to all freedoms of the people.”
The People’s Convoy is staging in Los Angeles at the Defeat the Mandates rally today! #thepeoplesconvoy #letfreedomroll #defeatthemandates #coasttocoast @dchomecoming pic.twitter.com/H28glUTN4d
— PeoplesConvoyUSA (@peoplesconvoyus) April 10, 2022
Getting rid of firefighters for not being vaccinated is extremely dangerous considering California has constant wildfires yearly.
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