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Anti-vaccine protesters force vaccination clinic to close
A pop-up vaccination centre in Cabot Circus was forced to close after being surrounded by a group of anti-vaxxers.
A few dozen people marched from Castle Park to the nearby shopping centre on Saturday afternoon and made their way to the clinic on the first floor near Five Guys, which had already been shut as a safety precaution soon before protesters arrived.
Among the protesters was Aaron Walton, the Covid-denying tattooist fined more than £20,000 for opening Holey Skin on Gloucester Road in breach of coronavirus rules.
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“So very sorry that staff and the public have been subject to intimidation,” tweeted Bristol’s director of public health, Christina Gray.
“It is not acceptable. I hope that no one has been hurt.”
One man in a mask on his way to get his jab had a drink knocked out of his hand by one of the ant-vaxxers. The drink flew in the air and landed on a young girl.
“Fucking covidiots blocked the test centre and attacked me when I tried to get in, they threw my drink at a girl and tried to claim I assaulted her,” wrote @amias on Twitter.
“Had to be interviewed by the police while they continue to fuck with people’s live and waste time…
“The police just do nothing, it’s about time people who stood up to these thugs, it’s so typically English to have a shopping centre full of people ignoring a bunch of bullies and not confronting them.”
Protesters began to gather in Castle Park at midday and made their way to shelter in the bandstand when it started to rain – photo: Martin Booth
Lorr Davis and her daughter were in the queue before the clinic was closed.
She wrote on Facebook: “I was in that queue today for my daughter to have her first vaccine dose, we had nearly got to the front of the queue when we were told by security and the people there that protesters were on their way . We were told to leave in case trouble started!
“Now I respect people’s opinions etc, but why stop others from making their choices, where’s our freedom of choice. Like many people today I was very frustrated and cross to have to be subject to this.”
Main photo: Tyrant Finder / YouTube
Read more: Library closed due to anti-social behaviour
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