Thousands Gather At State Capitol To Express Concerns Over Vaccine Mandates

Thousands of Oklahomans gathered at the State Capitol today for what they’re calling a Freedom Rally. It's to express their concerns about people being pushed to be vaccinated.

People stood in line for several hours this afternoon, waiting to get inside the Oklahoma Capitol. A few them telling News 9 they just want their voices to be heard.

"We can't be silenced and ignored," said Christianne Shell. "I thought we had freedom of speech."

The rally was held on the fourth floor of the capitol building, as several speakers took turns discussing how people across the state shouldn’t be pushed or told to be vaccinated.

"The hospitals began saying that their employees had to get the vaccine, or they were going to be forced into resignation," said Daniel Navejas, with Ekklesia Oklahoma. "That's a major problem, last year our medical people were told they were the heroes."

The group says they're calling on the Governor to call a special session to get legislation on his desk that would protect the citizens of Oklahoma. One of the speakers today was Oklahoma GOP Chairman, John Bennett. He recently posted a controversial video comparing vaccine mandates to the Holocaust and some agree with the comparison.

"There was a yellow vaccine card that said if you're going to get groceries in some states," said Navejas. "If you're going to shop and go through your daily routines, you have to have this yellow cards, what's the difference?"

But many in the crowd say they're not against the vaccine, they just want to stand up for their rights.

"We don't feel like anyone should be pressured, coerced, or mandated to inject something into their body that they’re not comfortable with or their physicians," said Marsheila Prior.

However, a number of health professionals are encouraging people to get the vaccine as COVID-19 cases continue to climb within the state. The OSDH reported over 10,000 new cases in Oklahoma as of this week.

The rally ended peacefully.