A group of people protesting New York City's COVID vaccine mandate stormed through a vaccinated-only food court on Staten Island on Saturday. One video that captured the action has already been viewed 1.4 million times on social media.
A number of clips were filmed by freelance journalist Oliya Scootercaster for FreedomNews TV. Dozens of people can be seen in the footage marching through a food court at the Staten Island Mall and protesting the mandate.
One shows a crowd sitting at tables chanting "F*** Joe Biden!" and "USA!" as others walk by and sing along. One man can be seen waving the American flag while another wears a "Trump Won" T-shirt.
Warning: Footage below contains language that may be objectionable.
"F**k Joe Biden" and "Trump Won" people chant as they eat at Vaccinated only food court without showing their vaccination cards. https://t.co/B92LyhAlJR pic.twitter.com/C3D9CZQCIW
— Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) September 25, 2021
At one point, a protester holding a camera says: "Everybody, go get food and eat. That is what we are here to do. We're going to meet over there and go into the food court area and sit our butts down and stay as long as we like."
Newsweek reached out to the Staten Island Mall for comments, but didn't hear back by the time of publication.
According to the full video, protesters were not confronted by mall security or prevented from sitting at the food court, despite signs that said COVID vaccinations are required to sit there.
They were not asked to show vaccine cards, despite a sign at the entry stating its required. Food court is letting everyone eat regardless of their vaccination status pic.twitter.com/36FypIbRFf
— Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) September 25, 2021
In the footage, one of the protesters expresses her opposition toward the city's vaccine mandate, saying: "Vaccinated or unvaccinated, we are all one people. We shouldn't be carrying papers or showing papers because we live in America."
"Vaccinated or unvaccinated we are all one people, we shouldn't be carrying papers or showing papers because we live in America" said one of the Anti-mandate protesters at Staten Island food court today. pic.twitter.com/ePWNZ2AWyP
— Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) September 25, 2021
"They are psychologically screwing kids' heads, they just don't know it yet," says another protester, referring to school mask mandates. "Whatever happened to 'My body, my choice?'"
Mayor Bill de Blasio had said that people will need to provide proof of COVID vaccination in order to dine in restaurants and enter other settings such as gyms and entertainment venues.
"It's time for people to see vaccination as literally necessary to living a good and full and healthy life," the mayor said in August.
A spokesperson for de Blasio told Newsweek that the city provided restaurants with conflict resolution training and will continue to do so to help them adapt to the new COVID-related initiative, called Key to NYC Pass. That program is a way for people to enter indoor settings by using the NYC COVID Safe app, which stores an image of a person's vaccination card.
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