Hundreds of protestors demanding an end to COVID-19 restrictions descended the provincial capital on the first official day of spring.
Protestors gathered at Centennial Square and then marched through city streets on Saturday afternoon, claiming the government has unjustifiably taken away their freedoms with COVID-19 restrictions.
“We don’t feel the lockdown is necessary, neither do we feel that people are understanding the consequences of the lockdown, in terms of business, in terms of trauma to people,” said one participant.
The event, called World Wide Rally For Freedom, was one of a handful of anti-COVID restriction rallies scheduled to take place across Canada.
“Wouldn’t the authorities that are responsible that are putting out this information want to calm down the population and assure everyone, ‘look guys there’s nothing unusual going on no more people are dying,'” said a person who called herself, Lady Hannah.
Michael Mulligan, a Victoria-based lawyer, previously told CHEK News that while many may feel like their rights are being violated, that isn’t the case.
“Laws by their very nature restrict your freedom to otherwise engage in conduct that you might wish to,” he said. “For example, you might want to drive your car down the road at 100 kilometers an hour, we’ve imposed speed limits.”
Meanwhile, the Victoria Police Department said in a statement that the protest and march, which resulted in traffic being delayed downtown, was peaceful.
“There was a short march in the downtown area that led to traffic disruptions. VicPD traffic officers were on-site to ensure everyone’s safety. There were no issues during the protest and no enforcement action was taken,” the department said in a statement on its website.
Hundreds of protestors demanding an end to COVID-19 restrictions descended the provincial capital on Saturday afternoon. (CHEK News)
Ben Nesbit
