Anti-Vaccine Protestors Arrested after Refusing to Leave Cheesecake Factory in New York

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Image: @Patriottakes | Twitter

In an odd turn of events, those opposing Covid-19 vaccinations gathered at Cheesecake Factory to protest mandated vaccinations. In a video posted to Twitter, several anti-vaxxers claimed to do a sit-in by refusing to be sat by a hostess and sat themselves, skipping over other waiting patrons.

Once the police arrived, they began to argue with them and tried to claim their rights, saying they were only there to eat. But, the managers of the restaurant had asked the group of people to leave, and when they didn’t, the police were then called. Though the police warned them they would be charged with criminal tresspassing, the group did not believe them and four people were then arrested. The entirety of the encounter was then posted to Twitter in a thread with updates, causing Cheesecake Factory to trend as people discussed the controversy.

According to the video, there was at least 30 participating in the “sit-in.” One person in the video calls it “medical segregation” and says that “we all have to stand up.”

Twitter’s reaction

Cheesecake factory then began trending with over 8,000 tweets of people discussing the “walk in.” Though protesting is a constitutional right, many thought that the way they went about it, by skipping paying customers, was a huge issue. Others were concerned with someone’s belief that they had a right to cheesecake and to sit in a restaurant, especially when cutting in line.

https://twitter.com/RabbiHarvey/status/1471123086300913673?s=20

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This occurred in Queens, New York, where vaccines are required for indoor dining. This is probably why the protestors decided to choose a restaurant for the protest, but the motives behind skipping in line and sitting themselves seems to still confuse Twitter users.

Though the protestors seemed to believe they had a right to come in and sit down for service, many pointed out the fact that restaurants have the right to refuse service, and if you do not leave after being asked, this is considered trespassing. Afterwards, many protestors explained to make reservations at your local Cheesecake Factory in order to not show up and boycott them, to hopefully spread their message.

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