'It's like a time of war': Public meetings throughout the state marked by anger and harassment

Yes, hate groups and right-wing extremists have made appearances in the increasingly angry fight in New Hampshire against vaccine mandates, mask policies, pandemic shutdowns, lessons on racism, unproven voter fraud, and even pronoun use. But the fight is being waged by your neighbors, not armed extremist groups in tactical gear.

Angry and frustrated teachers, parents, nurses, students, elected officials, and community members – many who’ve never been politically engaged before – are packing and often disrupting school and select board meetings across the state. And they are having an impact.

“To go and voice your opinion to your public officials, that is how our republic functions,” said Andrew Manuse, co-founder of RebuildNH, a group helping to organize many of the protests. “We’ve been clamoring for how many years that people are not showing up for elections and not showing up for public meetings? People who have never been involved before are getting involved. We would say that’s a good thing, and it is.”

Manuse encourages followers to do so civilly. Many do, like the hundreds who marched in Concord Saturday for “medical freedom.”

Read more: https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2021/10/07/its-like-a-time-of-war-public-meetings-throughout-the-state-marked-by-anger-and-harassment/