On the occasion of Worldwide Demonstrations, people in various states in India, as well as tens of thousands across several countries have launched protests against anti-Covid measures. People in 45 countries and 120 cities have reportedly come together to agitate against the various government’s decisions to implement lockdowns and vaccinate people to curb the spread of Covid-19 pathogen. NGO Awaken India Movement had called for demonstrations in multiple cities across India in solidarity with the people of India and the World.
According to reports, hundreds of people, mostly those belonging to some independent local church and social activists in Kohima and Dimapur in Nagaland on July 24 (Saturday), joined their counterparts in different states of India and worldwide, on the world ‘Freedom Rally’.
The ‘Freedom Rally’ has been called by Awaken India Movement, to protest against Covid restrictions, mandatory vaccination, mask mandate and Covid testing.
Some of the placards that were seen during the rallies conducted in Kohima and Dimapur on Saturday read: “High court directed ramping up of covid testing and not ramp up mandatory vaccination”; “Mandatory vaccination is tyranny”; “No more lockdowns. It has brought poverty and hunger”; “Vaccinating cannot guarantee safety of one’s life” and “WHO says masks are not for healthy people” etc.
Besides Nagaland, Awaken India Movement has called for demonstrations in multiple cities across India in solidarity with the world. On Saturday itself, the members of the NGO in Shillong attempted to carry out a demonstration against mandatory COVID-19 vaccination and lockdown.
AIM members gathered at Motphran at 12 pm to carry out a ‘peaceful’ demonstration. They had intended to march to GS Road via Police Bazar, Meghalaya Secretariat, IGP Point, Dhanketi, Laitumkhrah and finally to Madan Iewrynghep (Fire Brigade). However, their plan was impeded due to Union home minister Amit Shah’s visit to the state. The cops reportedly did not allow the members of the NGO to proceed with their plans.
Similar protests by team members of Awaken India Movement’s Telangana unit was carried out today, July 25 (Sunday) at Dharna Chowk in Hyderabad. According to reports, protestors held posters seeking ‘freedom from lockdown’ and demanded that the government should look for alternatives that would save lives as well as livelihoods.
Meanwhile, members of the NGO of the branch in Mumbai also protested against similar issues. They too urged the government to look for other options to substitute lockdowns and mandatory vaccinations as solutions to battle the pandemic.
Similar protests against anti-Covid measures are being held worldwide
It is pertinent to note here that such protests are not confined to India but has broken out all across the world. People in countries like Australia, France, Italy and the UK have taken to the streets to protest against the Covid restrictions undertaken by various countries to fight the pandemic that has, in the last one and a half years, wreaked havoc across the globe devouring businesses, lives and economies as a whole.
In Paris, one message painted on the protestor’s clothes read: “No to compulsory vaccination, freedom violated!”, while another’s placard said: “Macron, no to the health dictatorship.” Reports suggest that tens of thousands of people in France have hit the streets on July 24 (Saturday), to agitate against the new coronavirus rules announced by the government earlier this week.
“I will never get vaccinated,” Bruno Auquier, a 53-year-old town councillor who lives on the outskirts of Paris said. Raising doubts on the safety of vaccinations, he added that “People need to wake up.”
On July 22, reports surfaced suggesting that some Greek protestors also clashed with the police in Athens on July 21, Wednesday. About 1,500 people had reportedly taken part in the protest outside parliament, the second in a week against Greece’s COVID-19 inoculation drive.
The protests were prompted by a decision taken by the government of Greece earlier in July 2021, ordering mandatory vaccination of healthcare workers and nursing home staff. The government had also suggested other groups including teachers, may need to be compulsorily vaccinated too.
