LANSING, Mich.—About 800 protesters gathered Friday afternoon on the grounds outside the Michigan State Capitol to rally against government mandates for vaccinations and masks.
In a call for residents to push back against the government’s increasingly intrusive health policies and protect Americans’ rights during the pandemic, Tammy Clark, executive director of the conservative group “Stand Up Michigan,” encouraged the audience to let their voices be heard through non-violent civil disobedience.
“If we don’t stop this now, we won’t get another chance,” Clark said. “Let’s show the government that the employees of this country will not tolerate this tyranny. We have inalienable rights and we are not going to give them up. We must refuse to comply with the vaccine mandates and forced mask-wearing at all costs. If you lose your job, go out and get another job!”
Among the many health care workers in the crowd were two cousins, Beatrice and Christina, both nurses who potentially face losing their jobs if they do not take the vaccine.
Beatrice, a nurse from Troy, Michigan, told The Epoch Times, “Being forced to take the shot or lose your job is like me telling a patient, ‘Take your pills or I won’t feed you, bathe you, or care for you.’ Both instances violate the nurse’s code of ethics.”
Beatrice continued, “Christina and I grew up in communist Romania where doctors put things in your arm against your will. We know what this is. We lived under it. It’s communism.”
ICU nurse Christina added, “Imagine being banned from shopping for groceries at a store. Americans haven’t lived through that kind of tyranny yet. Many of our fellow health care workers feel as we do but are afraid to speak up.”
Pastor Jason Georges, who spoke at the rally, used his remarks to outline what he called the “immorality” of the government’s vaccination messaging.
By Steven Kovac
