COVID-19 protesters push a selfish message

At the same time as Doug Ford was talking to Ontarians about the state of the COVID-19 pandemic on Saturday, protesters were on the Queen’s Park front lawn — which is supposed to be closed — complaining about measures caused by the same pandemic.

They want the economy to reopen. They want their jobs back. The want an end to social distancing rules. They want hair cuts. Ford referred to them as “yahoos.”

He was being too kind.

We shouldn’t be surprised that as this quasi-lockdown drags on and people get more and more fussed by it, a noisy minority would take to the streets with signs and slogans. Some are the typical characters you find on the fringe. Some are conspiracy theorists who say the pandemic is a hoax. A few, at least the ones caught on video Sunday, appear to be people with legitimate concerns about pandemic measures and their impact.

They do have the right to protest if they’re not breaking any laws. On Saturday, however, it was clear from news coverage that many were not following distancing protocols. But Toronto police didn’t issue any tickets because the protesters heeded verbal warnings and tickets weren’t necessary, according to police.

That’s fine, but it overlooks the fact that sheer size of the protest crowd made the event an illegal gathering. If a gathering of 200 at a protest is fine, then is another gathering of similar size fine at an outdoor barbecue, assuming everyone is two metres apart? Police need to be careful about double standards.

The Toronto protest, and one held in Vancouver were typically Canadian, meaning largely polite and civilized, at least compared to the ones roiling many major cities in the Divided States of America. There the protests are much more hostile, and are tacitly supported and even encouraged by the Trump administration.

But that doesn’t mean we should not be concerned. What these people are doing is not merely taking advantage of their legal right to take part on peaceful protest. They’re making a statement that is much more serious, and we would argue nefarious, than that. They are saying they have a right to enjoy unrestricted freedom, even at the expense of prolonging the pandemic and causing injury and even death to people who become victims.

They are certainly holding themselves up as more important than long-term care home residents, their families and LTC staff, who stand to lose the most if COVID-19 isn’t defeated. They are actually saying they are more important than everyone else who chooses to obey public health restrictions.

Why? Why do they think their opinions are more valid than those of the vast majority of us who are trying to do the right thing, for our own safety and that of the rest of society?

Why do they think that they are right when public health and science evidence shows they are wrong?

We can’t help but wonder what the families of people who have died from COVID-19 would say about all this. Would those who argue their rights trump societal rights be willing to sit down with those grieving loved ones and defend their view — their selfishness?

Somehow, we doubt it.

Fortunately, the pandemic deniers and “me-firsters” are a very small minority at this point. But we need to be on guard in case that changes, as it threatens to in our neighbour to the south. There, the “me-firsters” are greater in number, and their views seem increasingly extreme.

And they have a right to bear arms, which is a scary thought.