Hundreds rally against vaccine mandates; some enter North Dakota Capitol hoping to be heard

Organizers said they ordered 3,000 T-shirts to give out to attendees, but at most 400 people congregated on the Capitol's front lawn.

BISMARCK — About 400 people gathered on the North Dakota Capitol building’s front lawn on Monday, Nov. 8, to protest vaccine mandates and urge legislators to support bills that restrict such mandates.

The "We The People" rally drew demonstrators who believe employers and the government instituting COVID-19 vaccine requirements is an infringement on a person's rights. Organizers planned for thousands of attendees at the noon rally and said they ordered 3,000 T-shirts to pass out, but at most 400 people congregated outside the Capitol.

"COVID can be very deadly for some, we all know that, but giving away our basic freedoms to power hungry corporations and totalitarian governments can be deadly also," said Jared Hendrix, Republican District 38 chair and one of the rally's organizers.

"You've got these masks and you've got these vaccinations. People are losing their jobs," said Elmer Knodel, a rally-goer from Drayton, North Dakota. "They're taking our freedom of speech away."

Read more: https://www.jamestownsun.com/news/government-and-politics/7274340-Hundreds-rally-against-vaccine-mandates-some-enter-North-Dakota-Capitol-hoping-to-be-heard