This week, a group of protesters against COVID-19 vaccine mandates staged a “sit-in” at a Cheesecake Factory in New York City.
Six of the protesters were arrested, the Queens Daily Eagle reported, one of them a veteran.
The group of around 30 entered the restaurant on Tuesday night and refused to show proof of vaccination, as is required in New York City for indoor activities.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also announced last week a new mask mandate for all indoor public spaces that do not require proof of vaccination for entry, WNBC-TV reported. The mandate took effect on Monday.
On Tuesday, these protesters stirred things up, showing that not every New Yorker is simply going to go along with the continual coronavirus mandates imposed by the city and state.
Among them was Mitchell Bosch, an Army veteran who said he served in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was an engineer officer. Bosch was also among those who were arrested.
Hour-long footage of the incident was posted on Instagram.
WARNING: The following video contains strong language that some viewers will find offensive.
Before his arrest, Bosch explained that he was fighting for medical freedom.
Should these protesters have been arrested?
Yes: 4% (1 Votes)
No: 96% (25 Votes)
“Medical freedom is not negotiable, plain and simple. Not negotiable. I fought for this country in order to give everybody the opportunity for freedom, and I am not going to go down. I am willing to die for my country, for freedom,” Bosch said.
“I served in Afghanistan, I served in Iraq. We are fighting an enemy that is much stronger than us. The enemy is the politicians, the oligarchies. We have to do civil disobedience in order to go ahead and get medical freedom. … This is what it’s going to take to get America to wake up,” he added.
“This is holding the line today. We as the people take a stand. Even if it means that we go and we spend a little time behind bars, we get out — we will not comply.”
Another protester compared the push against vaccine mandates to the civil rights movement.
“This reminds me of the civil rights movement,” he said. “It’s segregation all over again. As a black man, I feel like I’m being pushed to the side, I don’t count unless I jump through the hoops — whatever the government tells me to do. They are demanding that they invade my body autonomy, and nobody gets to invade my body autonomy.”
The Daily Eagle reported that a restaurant bartender told the protesters he would have served them, but he was following orders not to.
“The Nazis were just following orders,” one of the protesters said.
Eventually, police were called and the protest was broken up. The six individuals who were arrested were charged with criminal trespassing.
This is the new normal: a brave veteran who fought to defend the country arrested for protesting coronavirus ordinances.
