As COVID-19 cases in Ontario rise again, dozens of maskless protesters took to Parliament Hill on Sept. 7, shouting their concerns over the government’s mandatory mask laws. They have been camping outside of Parliament since July 1. in an ongoing protest.
The group’s members, who are calling themselves the Canadian Revolution, say they fear these laws are a form of government suppression.The group invited Canadians who felt similarly to speak at the open-mic rally and demand recognition from the government, which members say they have not received.
Founded in the last year on Facebook, the Canadian Revolution is an organization that claims to be an open forum for citizens to organize and protest the government, and most recently mandatory mask laws.
Laws which mandate people to wear masks, and suspicions of mandatory vaccinations were common topics discussed by protestors at the event.
Following recommendations from the World Health Organization and the federal government, Ontario has made facial coverings mandatory for public areas, such as transit or shopping areas.
Members of the Canadian Revolution group say they are advocating for the personal choice to wear a mask.
“We are standing up for constitutional change,” said Miranda Remillard, founder of the Canadian Revolution. “We came as Canadians from all over the country to stand up for our rights.”
Protesters at the rally sported picket signs reading pro-freedom and anti-coronavirus slogans like “Hugs Not Masks” and “Wake Up.”
While most open-mic speakers made statements of loss of freedom and corruption, some protesters raised concerns of COVID-19 measures ignoring certain groups of people, such as for people who have experienced sexual assault.
JehSara Bennu, one of the protestors, shared their experience with this issue, saying they feel masks may trigger sexual assault victims and can be severely traumatic.
“You can imagine how I felt when they made them mandatory in my building,” Bennu said.
Public health experts worldwide have encouraged everyone to wear a cloth face covering to avoid spreading the virus to those around them, not to protect themselves from catching the virus.
A recent study which analyzed covid case numbers in 16 countries concluded that “wearing face masks protects people (both health-care workers and the general public) against infection by these coronaviruses.”
In a press conference in July, Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned anti-mask protesters, calling them “absolutely irresponsible” and “reckless.”
“We recognized the need and urgency behind rallying for change, and we weren’t satisfied with a one day protest,” Remillard said.
This group is not alone in protesting government mandatory mask laws, with organizations such as Hugs Over Masks gathering in cities across Canada this summer, and thousands filling Quebec’s streets in August to protest the same laws.
To further propel their demand to be heard, the Canadian Revolution has two additional rallies planned for Sept. 23 and 26, and a vow of silence to begin on Oct. 1.
Featured image by MacKenzie Collings.
