Anti-vaxxers gather to burn giant syringe in effigy at Utah demonstration
A giant effigy of a syringe is burned in Utah demonstration
(Facebook/Eric Moutsos)Hundreds of anti-vaxxers gathered in Utah to burn an effigy of a giant syringe to demonstrate their disdain over "medical tyranny".
The demonstration, which took place in Moroni, Utah, on 1 May, was part of the "Night of Liberty" event and involved "who's who" of local culture warriors, according to a post advertising the gathering.
In a video from the event, a large wooden effigy emblazoned with the words "MEDICAL TYRANNY" that rested against a barrel that was labelled "BIOHAZARD" was burned as attendees gathered around.
A video of the event was recorded by former Salt Lake City police officer Eric Moutsos, who made headlines in 2014 after he resigned from the police department when he was suspended for refusing to work the city's annual LGBTQ Pride parade.
Mr Moutsos shared the livestream on his Facebook page to his 10,000 followers, describing the evening as an "amazing night". Included in the post were several pictures.
He also shared the video on YouTube.
"Obviously burning the giant syringe was one of the highlights of the night," Mr Moutsos wrote. "Literally burning the false god idol that's being pushed on the world population by fear, coercion and force."
He went on to state that "#Godâ created us to be #freeâ. He created us with immune systems to fight [off] viruses. He created us to gather one with another to talk about Him. Mask-less and #fearlessâ."
Ammon Bundy was also in attendance at the event. Mr Bundy is part of a ranching family known for having armed standoffs with law enforcement agents, but he has also recently gained attention for his anti-mask activism, VICE reports.
Besides the burning of the effigy, attendees also viewed a documentary entitled "Non-Essential", which showed a compilation of business owners who explained the repercussions Covid-19 had on their companies due to lockdown orders.
This event comes as the United States has plateaued in vaccine administration in areas across the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Recent reports have indicated the country might struggle to reach the elusive "herd immunity" due to surging Covid-19 variants and segments of the US population who are unwilling to receive a vaccine.
Health officials estimated 70 to 85 per cent of Americans need to get the vaccine to reach herd immunity.
But currently just 148 million Americans, or 44.7 per cent, have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 107 million Americans, or 32.3 per cent, were fully vaccinated against the novel virus, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In Utah, only 25 per cent of the state's population has been vaccinated, according to CDC data, making it the third lowest vaccination rate in the United States.
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