Protest against vaccine passport snakes through Vancouver
Posted September 8, 2021 6:10 am.
Last Updated September 8, 2021 7:07 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A week after large and disruptive demonstrations against COVID-19 vaccine cards and pandemic measures took over streets in front of hospitals and city halls across Canada, a much smaller crowd gathered in Vancouver before marching through the downtown core.
While last week’s protest drew thousands, fewer than 200 came out Wednesday. The messages, however, were the same on both occasions — opposition to the province’s immunization requirement, misinformation about the virus and the vaccine, and still more who called the entire pandemic a hoax.
Those protesting government vaccine passport systems at Vancouver City Hall are now chanting “Lock Her Up” in relation to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. Once again Cambie is blocked northbound and southbound on the north side of 12th Avenue pic.twitter.com/3NUn994xYn
— Martin MacMahon (@martinmacmahon) September 8, 2021
Anti vaccine protesters (one in a PPC shirt) demonstrating outside Ottawa City Hall. #cdnpoli #elxn44 pic.twitter.com/OP6xQD3VeC
— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) September 8, 2021
Instead of targetting hospitals, the protest began at city hall. The vaccine card program is a provincial measure.
A group called ‘We Are All Essential,’ organized the events, and calling for business owners, employees, and consumers to join together to “reject the tyranny of vaccine passports,” urging people to “unite businesses for freedom of choice.”
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The protests that took place on Sept. 1 have been widely criticized for targeting hospitals. In many cases, patients trying to receive care, people visiting family, and others going to grieve loved ones were disrupted by loud demonstrators, many of whom were not masked.
Some cancer patients told NEWS 1130 last week they were forced to get out of their cars and walk through crowds of unmasked, angry people in order to make it to their treatments, putting them at further risk.
Meantime, Kennedy Stewart threatened to take stronger measures if necessary.
“I’ve reached out to the VPD leadership on the subject of future anti-healthcare, anti-vaccination protests. Chief Palmer informs me that the VPD will facilitate peaceful protests, but will not allow protesters to impede access to emergency medical care. We have also reviewed additional legal actions we can take should protesters not comply,” he said.
When people seeking treatment at Vancouver General Hospital last Wednesday were obstructed by protesters, Stewart angrily responding –telling them all to “Go the HELL home!”
Irony of demonstrations not lost on healthcare workers
“It’s certainly not lost on us that some of the people that were out there at the protests are probably going to end up needing our care. They’re going to end up needing oxygen, they’re going to end up needing to be intubated, they’re going to end up in intensive care. That’s inevitable,” Dr. Matthew Chow, president of Doctors of B.C., said.
The doctor added, he thinks the protests are misguided because “We all agree that having to have public health measures put in place mandates, vaccine passports is not ideal.”
Either way, he explained that while no one wants to be at this stage in the pandemic, the virus and some of its variants are highly transmissible and will spread to the vulnerable, unprotected and unvaccinated.
He said COVID-19 doesn’t care about anyone’s opinion or political beliefs.
“The virus doesn’t care,” he said. “So we have to do what we have to do to save lives, to protect people, to make sure that our hospital system is protected, and our health care workers are not overwhelmed.”
Chow added he hopes to remind people that these measures are not forever.
“They are tools that we need to get to a safer fall and winter. And so if folks are really truly concerned about their fellow friends, neighbours and family, what they will do is help convince them, help them see and find accurate information about these vaccines so that they will make the right decision for themselves and get vaccinated to protect themselves.”
Last week, protests in B.C. saw health care workers verbally abused, brought to tear, and in one case, physically assaulted.
Chow said the day and week was very emotional for health care workers, adding it was incredibly discouraging and demoralizing to see people protesting in front of health care facilities as healthcare workers across B.C. continue to work around the clock to keep people safe.
“People being screamed at spat on, taunted, misogynists comments being made, and of course, how can one ever forget the images of that ambulance trying to get through and deliver someone to the hospital? That could be an image that that sits with us for a long time to come.”
Well this is disgusting. https://t.co/xNH7bvK71r
— dan levy (@danjlevy) September 3, 2021
Internet culture
Jeffrey Dvorkin, former director of the journalism program at the University of Toronto, says many of these protests are being driven by misinformation online — and that can be hard to battle.
“We’re seeing Facebook and Twitter taking down posts from people that are clearly sending out the wrong information. I think more of that should happen. But I’m also a great believer in free speech. So that is the balancing act,” he explained.
Dvorkin notes many of these protests highlight the downside of the internet culture.
“Misinformation and disinformation spread on the internet, and it is — in my opinion — a very unhealthy development. It’s all very well for people to want to express their opinion, and they have the right to their opinion, but they don’t have the right to their own facts,” he told NEWS 1130. “And the facts put these anti-vaxxers on the wrong side of society and on the wrong side of history, frankly.”
Related video: Patients, healthcare workers react to B.C. vaccine card protests
B.C.’s ‘Vaccine Card’ will come into effect on Monday, Sept. 13. Starting on that date, people will be required to show they’ve had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to access some non-essential businesses, events, and services. By Oct. 24, people will need to be fully vaccinated to access these settings, like movie theatres and restaurants.
Anyone who is caught violating the order could receive fines of $230 or $575, depending on the violation.
While many people have protested “mandatory vaccines,” it should be noted that there is no order requiring people to be vaccinated in B.C. or elsewhere in the country. It remains a personal choice.
A new poll from the Angus Reid Institute finds there is growing support for vaccine passports, with about 70 per cent of respondents in Canada saying they believe they should be used if people want to access public places, like restaurants, malls, movies, and churches.
Meanwhile, 77 per cent of Canadians surveyed say provincial governments should use regulatory measures to get vaccination rates up, while 33 per cent believe incentives are the way to go.
-With files from Claire Fenton
