A woman hollars 'freedom' as an anti-mask protest of between 60 and 70 people makes its way down Pitt Street in Cornwall, Ont. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)
CORNWALL – Roughly 60-70 people marched down Pitt Street in Cornwall to protest the mandatory wearing of face coverings in indoor public spaces.
People gathered outside the Eastern Ontario Health Unit offices at 2 p.m. and then started the “Freedom March Cornwall” around 2:35 p.m. According to the Facebook event posting, the group billed itself as a “rights-based natural health justice group.”
Many carried placards with slogans such as “lockdowns and restrictions are causing more harm than the virus” and “love over fear.”
Led by the Cornwall Police Service and a man on a e-bike, the crowd made its way to Lamoureux Park shouting “freedom” along the way.
While the crowd garnered some sporadic honks from motorists on Pitt Street, not everyone was in agreement. “Wear your mask,” someone shouted from a passing car.
Click on a thumbnail below to open a gallery of pictures from the protest.
Scenes from an anti-mask protest in Cornwall, Ont. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)
Scenes from an anti-mask protest in Cornwall, Ont. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)
Scenes from an anti-mask protest in Cornwall, Ont. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)
Scenes from an anti-mask protest in Cornwall, Ont. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)
A protestor has her picture taken prior to the march. Scenes from an anti-mask protest in Cornwall, Ont. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)
Protestors leave the Eastern Ontario Health Unit office on Pitt Street as part of an anti-mask demonstration. Scenes from an anti-mask protest in Cornwall, Ont. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)
Members of the Cornwall Police Service speak with one of the protest organizers prior to the march. Scenes from an anti-mask protest in Cornwall, Ont. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)
Scenes from an anti-mask protest in Cornwall, Ont. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Newswatch Group/Bill Kingston)