Nurses stand off against anti-lockdown protesters in Denver, Colorado
20 April 2020, 11:12
Healthcare workers were seen facing off against angry anti-lockdown protesters in Colorado on Sunday.
Two nurses wearing full scrubs and protective face masks blocked roads being used by the demonstrators who were venting their anger at the state's stay-at-home order.
Protesters gathered at the State Capitol in Denver to demand the lifting of coronavirus lockdown measures - also known as 'shutdown' in the US.
Two nurses, who have witnessed first hand the toll Covid is taking in Colorado, stood up and peacefully counter protested. Here is how they were treated. I had join them. pic.twitter.com/iJnNcqZxSv
— Marc Zenn (@MarcZenn) April 19, 2020
In a video posted on social media, a woman, wearing an American flag T-shirt and holding a 'Land of the Free' placard, can be seen hanging out the window of her car shouting at a medical worker.
"Go to China if you want communism," she could be heard yelling.
Amid the chorus of car horns being blasted, another individual, not seen on camera, could be heard shouting at the woman: "35,000 (referencing the US death toll) ... they're just saving people's lives."
Health care workers stand in the street in counter-protest to hundreds of people who gathered at the State Capitol to demand the stay-at-home order be lifted in Denver, Colo., on Sunday, April 19, 2020. Photos by Alyson McClaran pic.twitter.com/yanunDrVKj
— Alyson McClaran (@McclaranAlyson) April 20, 2020
She then replies, yelling "bulls**t," before claiming the US death toll is a "lie."
The woman was also reportedly heard asking the nurses: “You can go to work why can’t I go to work?”
Neither of the healthcare workers seemed to respond.
Several hundred protesters circled the city's streets while honking their horns, before getting out and demonstrating on foot.
People were seen waving American flags, handing out Trump-style 'Keep America Great' hats and holding signs that read "End the Virus, Not the Economy," "I Prefer Dangerous Freedom," "Fear is the Real Virus" and "Free Colorado."
Alyson McClaren, a photojournalist who posted a video to Facebook, said of the demonstrators: “They were blocking the roads until the police force stepped in."
“People were putting their cars right up against them (the nurses).”
Elsewhere in the US, roughly 2,500 people rallied at the Washington state capitol on Sunday in similar protests - defying a ban on gatherings of 50 or more people.
In Indiana, more than 200 people upset over restrictions - in place until 1 May - protested outside the state mansion of governor Eric Holcomb, urging him to back off and restart the economy.
Similar scenes were reported in Austin, Texas.
It comes after President Donald Trump took to Twitter to urge supporters to "liberate" three states led by Democratic governors.
Similar demonstrations are being planned for the UK, with plans to protest in Westminster, London on 5 May.
Listen & subscribe: Global Player | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify
In Paris, riots broke out amid anger over the "heavy-handed" tactics used by police and the continuation of the country's coronavirus lockdown.
And in Brazil, hundreds of people denouncing pandemic lockdown measures opposed by President Jair Bolsonaro snarled traffic in major cities.
Protesters in lorries, cars and on motorcycles honked horns on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and the capital of Brasilia, calling for governors to resign over measures that have forced most businesses to close for weeks.