By Camille Aubin
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A group of protesters called Columbia Valley Freedom Lovers have been meeting peacefully for several weeks on Saturdays from noon to 1 p.m. at Cenotaph Park. The Freedom Lovers argue they protest in order to protect our freedom and human rights, which they feel are being threatened by the restrictions put in place to deal with COVID-19.
As they held up signs with slogans such as “Stop counting cases” and “Just say no mandatory masks”, they stopped pedestrians in the street to express their points of view. Some passersby honked in support, while others shared their dissatisfaction with the meeting.
The Columbia Valley Freedom Lovers does not question the existence of the virus, but rather the measures taken to limit its spread, such as wearing a mask in public places. The group disagrees with the necessity and effectiveness of wearing a mask.
This local Facebook group has 150 members as of now is growing in popularity. A week ago they had around 100 members.
