People who oppose the vaccine mandate took the Golden Gate Bridge to protest on Thursday which triggered major traffic jams in San Francisco.
Dozens of anti-vaccine mandate protesters have gathered at around 3 p.m., ABC7 reported as SKY7 went overhead the situation. They met at the Golden Gate Bridge welcome center near the toll plaza.
On Thursday evening, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) moved to prevent the people from entering the bridge, shutting at least a single lane going north.
An accident happened during the backup, which involved an SUV that hit a street sweeper, forcing it into the pile of the CHP personnel. This hurt at least one of the officers. Other injuries from the incident were not yet known.
Golden Gate Bridge officials announced through a tweet at around 5 in the afternoon that cyclists can use the east sidewalk. It was, however, closed to pedestrians.
The west sidewalk, on the other hand, stays open for both pedestrians and cyclists.
While SKY7 continued to monitor the happenings, a man was seen placed by CHP officers in the patrol vehicle’s back portion. He was the same man seen earlier who was carrying a sign and obstructing the traffic on the bridge.
With the protest expected, the Vista Point parking lot was closed early Thursday.
Meanwhile, San Francisco Chronicle reported that among those who organized the protest was Leigh Dundas, an attorney and anti-vaccine advocate. Thursday’s rally marked the culmination of the workers’ walkout nationwide. The four-day protest involved employees of business establishments and industries with vaccine mandates in place.
“Conditioning your job in a jab that is still experimental … is not just unconstitutional, it’s unconscionable,” Dundas told the media outlet.
Among the signs carried by the protesters read “Show us the science” and “our kids are not lab rats.”
Dundas also accused medical researchers and epidemiologists as political puppets as they urged the public to get a vaccine shot to lessen their risks of contracting serious COVID-19 infection or death.
“They’re the ones buying off on the biggest political scandal of our time and I believe they will be held accountable and stand trial for crimes against humanity,” she said.
