Thousands gather in Los Angeles to protest vaccine mandates

Thousands of city workers gathered in Los Angeles on Monday to protest the coronavirus vaccine mandate implemented by the city council. 

The protest was organized by Firefighters 4 Freedom and occurred outside of city hall, as city employees are expected to get fully vaccinated by Dec. 18 or risk losing their jobs, KTLA 5 reported. 

The protest was attended by police officers, sanitation workers, firefighters, electrical workers and other city employees.

“I’m here to show support for the men and women in law enforcement, the firefighters, those working in sanitation … who are here not so much against being vaccinated, or the vaccine, but they’re against being forced to do so by our local government,” retired LAPD Detective Moses Castillo said at the protest.

The city council implemented a coronavirus vaccine mandate, saying it is necessary to protect the community. 

The flyer for the rally Monday stated the group was against both local and federal coronavirus vaccine mandates, according to the local outlet. 

“That’s an overreach on the government’s part, because it’s not your right to tell me what I do with my health care, what I put into my body,” John Knox, a member of Firefighters 4 Freedom, said.

The rally came two days after an appeals court temporarily halted the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate that would require companies with more than 100 employees to implement a vaccine mandate or have unvaccinated employees undergo frequent testing.

Police and firefighter unions around the country have been fighting back against city vaccine mandates in court, with many losing the legal battles.