Hundreds in lockdown protest
COUNCILLOR’S ANGER AT ‘DANGEROUS’ RALLY
HUNDREDS of people gathered for an anti-lockdown protest in Piccadilly Gardens which spilled over into a march through the city centre.
Holding placards and banners with a variety of messages – including ‘Your Voice Your Choice’ and ‘Boris Loves Satan’ – the group gathered for the ‘Rise Up Manchester’ event at around 1pm yesterday.
But Manchester councillor Pat Karney has slammed those who marched down Market Street as ‘totally dangerous and irresponsible’ and said their actions were ‘two fingers up’ to medics and those who have died of the virus.
During the event, which lasted more than two hours, a number of people spoke through a megaphone about their reasons for gathering.
Among them was Paul Boys, a gym owner from Altrincham, who asked the crowd to ‘boo’ if they “abhor the lockdown”, which many did.
He spoke about the government ‘stripping people of their freedoms’, suggesting this would convince them to have the vaccine. He insisted: “We will not accept any mandate vaccination”.
The government has not announced any plans to make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory. Mr Boys, 40, also questioned the government’s handling of the pandemic during his speech.
He previously identified himself as the organiser of a similar event in Piccadilly Gardens last month, when national lockdown was in place.
He said he was asked to attend a police station after officers were forced to disperse crowds during the protest – which the region’s top cop described as ‘utterly ridiculous’.
Police said they handed the event’s organiser a £10,000 fine for the rally, which they say 600 attend. Mr Boys claims it was ‘thousands’. Police say no arrests were made at yesterday’s event.
One woman, known as ‘Piglet’, 65, told the M.E.N she believes the Tier 3 restrictions are ‘not genuine’ and had been going on for ‘way too long’.
She said she believes restrictions are about ‘controlling’ and ‘crashing the economic system’.
“We would have all been dead if it was a genuine virus and it wasn’t,” she said. Another woman described Tier 3 restrictions as ‘unlawful’ and said there was ‘a bigger cost to people’s lives that are affecting us all’.
“People dying from cancer who haven’t had scans on time,” she said. “I’m okay, I’ve got a job. Many, many people have lost their livelihoods, lost their businesses, it’s completely unlawful.” At the end of the rally, Mr Boys told protesters to disperse. But hundreds of people then filtered through the city centre, first heading down Market Street in close proximity to Christmas shoppers.