WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th April, 2020) Thousands of Americans, including a few armed with assault rifles, have taken to the streets this week to protest against stay-at-home orders across the United States because of fears that the government is infringing on their rights.
On Thursday, about 50 protesters gathered peacefully in the Virginia capital of Richmond to voice opposition to quarantine measures.
Overall, however, thousands of protesters have gathered in the US states of Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Kentucky, Utah and Wyoming. Many of the protesters are concerned about the economic harm from the coronavirus shut downs, especially for local businesses.
The latest figures from the US Department of Labor show that in the last month a record 22 million Americans have filed unemployment claims, a level of job losses not seen since the Great Depression.
Protesters held signs that said "Live Free or Die," "Stop the Tyranny" including signs comparing Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to Adolf Hitler. One group of protesters was seen armed with assault rifles on the steps of the Michigan capitol building.
The demonstration in Lansing, Michigan appeared to be the biggest one so far. Thousands of protesters intentionally caused a traffic gridlock around the Capitol in order to garner attention.
Whitmer said at one point protesters blocked the to a hospital and an ambulance was unable to get through for at least ten minutes.
"We believe that the governor has overreached and overstepped her rights with our freedoms," Michigan protester Joseph Dixon told a US media outlet on Wednesday, adding that they are also concerned about the US economy being severely impacted by the lockdowns.
Ohio protester Jennifer Franz told a media outlet on Monday that they feel the novel coronavirus is less of a danger to them than "our rights being stripped from us."
Several protesters were also seen wearing Trump "Make America Great Again" hats and other Trump related items.
Also on Thursday, about a hundred protesters in Texas held a demonstration in front of the governor's mansion in the state capital of Austin to urge Governor Greg Abbott to end the lockdown.
Another Texas demonstration is scheduled to take place in Austin on Saturday.
US President Donald Trump will announce new guidelines on Thursday for reopening the American economy.
The United States has more than 641,100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the country with more than 31,500 related deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus resource center.
