June 26, 2021. NYC. The "Bruce Springsteen On Broadway" concert drew dozens of protestors outside the theatre objecting to proof of vaccination from the audience.
Just say NO to Vaccine Passports!
Vaccine Passports are authoritarian, illiberal and wrong.
"A group of anti-vaccine protesters showed up to the opening night of Bruce Springsteen's "Springsteen on Broadway" Saturday, holding signs against the theater policy that required show attendees to have proof of vaccination by a WHO- or FDA-approved vaccine." (Newsweek)
"Protesters held signs including "no vax passports" and "Bruce Springsteen is for segregation on Broadway." The small group also shouted slogans such as "stop segregation" as attendees arrived for the show." [Newsweek]
Flickr Slide show of the protest
Part 1 video: As the protestors approached the theatre, they chanted "Vaccine Mandates Got To Go!" they squared off across 44th st, challenging the concert-goers in front of the St James.
"Those of us who have healthy immune systems should be able to enjoy these freedoms just like anybody else!"
"Between a pro-lockdown govt that ‘may’ temporarily lift some restrictions for a few weeks only to reimpose them in the autumn & a pro-lockdown ‘opposition’ that wouldn’t lift restrictions at all, even temporarily, we have a phoney war going on at present."
Considering there was a glut of media outside, there were just a few published reports of the protest; not what I expected.
Just google "no vaccine passport protest Springsteen" to find links to articles, but most simply linked to Newsweek, making no mention of the counter- protest til I found "app.com".
"Bruce Springsteen fans were not the only ones at the St. James Theatre on Saturday for the first performance of “Springsteen on Broadway” since the COVID-19 pandemic. About three dozen, vocal, anti-vaccine protesters were also outside the theater on Saturday evening. They voiced displeasure that the show is seating only fans who have been vaccinated from the novel coronavirus." [app.com]
Unfortunately,the NY POST photo, taken outside the theatre, was labeled as only "FANS"? No mention of the protestors.
The next picture shows more closely the protestors vs the audience stand-off. Plus, this was a loud No Vaccine Passports protest, so reporting them as only "Fans" seemed an odd omission.
Part 2 video The exchanges were personal regarding the vaccine passport segregation, the discrimination, as they chanted, "My Body, My Choice". The signs they carried, many were people who took the vaccine to "protect their grandmas" and ended up dying.
"They believed in that vaccine and now they're not here."
Part 3 video. A war of words as 'instigators' from the audience-side confronted the protestors by spilling into and blocking the street. "Shame on you" was now the protestor chant as the police sent everyone back to their own sides with another protestor chant, "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Vaccine Mandate's Got to Go."
Part 4 video. The protestors continued challenging the people waiting to enter the St James theatre who were apparently regarding the photo posters they held. These "... people who actually died from the vaccine ... if you are laughing at them, then you've got to be really sick in the head. And I'd be ashamed to be standing next to you ..." THEN, a guy RAN passed us towards 8th avenue and the crowd went after him shouting "shame on you". (Never found out why) But, the result was the protest was now closer to 8th avenue (in front of the Majestic Theatre) Two women were busy with "Try the Magnetic Challenge". Offering Free Jewelry to anyone who was magnetic (from the vaccine).
The black woman at the end of the video, unfortunately her accent was difficult to understand, but she was obviously upset. "You can't enter a Broadway show ... unless you're vaccinated. And you guys think that's okay? What country is this? I wanta know... is this Communist China? This is United States of America .... and now freedom is being taken away from America..."
''This sort of discrimination is ethically repugnant. What have the un vaccinated done to deserve to be placed in this sort of under-class ... (because they) happen to have opted out of the Covid vaccination program?"
"The show was attended by all the beautiful vaccinated people. Gov. Murphy was there as were “Little” Steven Van Zandt and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg with his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, as reported by Theaterly, and a sold-out house of vaccinated fans according to the rules set by the theatre .... and the Boss." [NJ101.5]
What sucks is that I agree that the un vaccinated are the new target of segregation and prejudice. I don't understand why those that got the COVID shots should care who else did if they're protected from the virus. But in today's world, it's not about what they choose to do, it's about making sure that you do it, too." [NJ101.5]
Jujamcyn Theatres, the company that operates the St. James, stands by this decision, even after the protests.
“One of the things we’ve learned this year is that the health of each of us depends on the actions of all of us,” Jordan Roth, President of Jujamcyn, tells TheWrap. “My health depends on you, and yours on me. That’s what it is to live in a community.” [The Wrap]
''If we look to other regions where indoor hospitality has been opened up a long, long time ago, we do not see higher spikes in hospitalizations in those regions, nor do they perform significantly worse than regions with indoor hospitality shut down. Sweden kept indoor hospitality open throughout the vast majority of the pandemic, yet experienced among the lowest age-adjusted excess mortality levels in Europe, lower than Netherlands, Northern Ireland, France, England, Austria, Spain, Belgium, and Italy, all countries with protracted lock downs.
Similarly, Florida opened up back in September 2020, while instituting protective measures for its care homes, and ended up with lower age-adjusted excess mortality than many lock down regions, such as California. Texas opened up completely in early March of this year and saw no spike in cases or deaths (in fact, they declined).
'Since when have we decided that vaccination is a strict civic obligation, rather than an optional private choice? Since when have we decided that those who opt out of a vaccine should be treated differently to everyone else? Surely this is their moral and legal right.'' [https://gript.ie/domestic-vaccine-passports-have-no-place-in-a-free-and-open-society/]
[Where indicated pictures and videos property of Pamela Hall-VSB]
