Last Updated on September 9, 2021
A video has gone viral of businesses in New York City rebelling against Bill de Blasio’s vaccine mandate, putting up posters declaring all customers, vaccinated or unvaccinated, are welcome.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio enforced a vaccine mandate on everyone above the age of 12 in the city last month, in that to get into restaurants or bars, gyms, and other indoor entertainment areas, customers must show that they have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. However, despite this being dubbed the “Key to NYC,” many people have rebelled against it. Following mass protests on the streets from consumers, businesses in the city have now started to join in too.
Arijan Hasanaj, a New York resident, began handing out posters to a number of local businesses, with an anti-vaccine message on them, after seeing them displayed in Rocco’s Pastry in Manhattan. “We do not discriminate against any customer based on sex, gender, race, creed, age, vaccinated or unvaccinated,” the posters read. “All customers who wish to patronize are welcome in our establishment. #StandTogether.” Hasanaj filmed him putting up the posters, the video of which then went viral on TikTok, and across other social media.
@arihasanaj Discord link in bio. We need help I can’t do this alone
Hasanaj received praise from various commentators, including Tim Pool, who encouraged everyone in New York to “get out there and protest,” with Ryan Gidursky describing him as a “hero,” adding that he wouldn’t be going to any stores that dared to enforce the vaccine mandate.
This is how its done
If youre in NYC get out there and protest https://t.co/Syg8llSZre
— Tim Pool (@Timcast) September 8, 2021
https://twitter.com/RyanGirdusky/status/1435097481197588480
Speaking exclusively to National File, Hasanaj revealed that he was inspired to start the business rebellion when he was refused entry to his gym without a vaccination card. He confirmed that every single business he went to was against the vaccine mandate – the only two that refused to put up the posters were scared out of backlash from the authorities. However, police officers he spoke to said that the mandate was completely unenforceable, with “no way” to be able get to businesses to comply that didn’t want to.
“It’s not even an anti-vax protest,” Hasanaj said. “It’s just pro-freedom. I’m not trying to force people to not take a vaccine, I don’t care what people do with their own bodies. Just don’t force me to take something I didn’t want to take to begin with.” He added that the reaction to the video has been almost entirely positive across social media, with only a tiny minority of people who had “a bad day” commenting negative things.
“I’ve had so many messages from people saying that they’re going to print it [the poster] and post it on their own shops, or go out with their friends and hand them out all over the country,” he continued. “It’s not even just in New York City. People are trying to prepare in advance just in case their own cities or states want to try and mandate the vaccine. They should let their government know this is not what they want.”
With other countries, such as Australia, putting citizens into quarantine camps, Hasanaj said that the only reason why America has maintained some freedoms during the pandemic is because of the Second Amendment. “Australia lost their guns and they also lost their freedom with it,” he argued. “America has a backup plan, without trying to sound violent. It’s a horrible last resort, but that’s why we have our Second Amendment. I think all our politicians understand that so they have to tread very lightly with us.”
