Blind lead the gullible at ‘freedom rallies’ // The Record’s view, A10

The anti-lockdown protesters planning to rally today — whether in Waterloo, Toronto or both — are scientific illiterates who mangle the meaning of freedom.

In the second wave of a pandemic that has killed more than11,850 Canadians and is claiming new lives daily, these paranoid navel-gazers selfishly claim the right to do whatever they like, blissfully ignoring the new infections, sickness and death their mass gathering could cause.

Do not be duped into thinking this is merely a “freedom rally,” as its organizers claim. This isn’t about supporting small local businesses that have been hit by COVID-19-related restrictions. If it was, why are some protesters threatening to target a small Waterloo grocery store that rightly tells customers to mask-up before entering?

In reality, these protests are an irrational pushback against the rules and regulations governments and public health officials have out of necessity imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19. Look at the photos of recent “freedom rallies” held in London, Ont., Woodstock, St. Thomas, Aylmer and, on Thursday, at the Ontario Legislature.

The Toronto picture captured a closely packed mob where no one wore a mask, where physical distancing was non-existent and one sign summed up the conspiracy theory spreading like a mental-virus through these pandemic contrarians: “GOVERNMENT IS NOT ESSENTIAL.”

It would be more honest to call such a demonstration what it is: a “to-hell-with-everyone rally.” The first casualty of this misguided movement is scientific truth. The world’s medical authorities are united in agreeing COVID-19 represents an existential threat to humanity, even if they don’t always concur on every detail of what should be done to stop it.

Even with unprecedented action by virtually every country on Earth, in less than a year the coronavirus outbreak has resulted in 61.5 million confirmed cases and more than 1.4 million deaths.

The “freedom rally” gang will likely brand this “fake news.” They disbelieve mainstream media. And that fits with the fiction spouted by many of them that the real danger isn’t COVID-19, it’s the nefarious plot for the supposed “reset” that would force a global dictatorship upon us all. No wonder they see themselves as 21st-century freedom fighters.

This brings us to their twisted notion of freedom. Like sulky children, they hate being told what to do. And so today’s event, if it goes ahead in Waterloo, is planned to include as many protesters as possible — despite the local public health regulation that outdoor gatherings should include no more than 25 people. We doubt the participants would stay two metres apart from each other — or wear masks, if they’re closer. If only they’d read Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which enshrines rights such as freedom of belief, expression, association and assembly. But it also says the charter’s rights and freedoms are “subject … to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.”

Exactly. At times, individual rights must bow to collective needs. That’s the deal, the balance, the social contract that makes a functional society possible. In a once-in-a-century pandemic, freedoms we would normally take for granted, such as shopping without a mask, attending a hockey game or enjoying a big, holiday bash, are temporarily put on hold. At the moment, those limits apply to massive outdoor gatherings, too, which is why we’re glad local police will monitor the rally, if it happens, in Waterloo.

To anyone remotely interested in checking out the madness at these rallies, we offer two words of advice: Stay home.