AUSTIN SOURS
Crowd of lockdown protesters chant ‘Fire Fauci’ in Texas as governors feel heat from fed-up locals and Trump
A protest against coronavirus stay-at-home orders was held outside the Texas Capitol building Saturday, a day after Donald Trump urged supporters to “liberate” states from their lockdowns.
Waving placards and flags, some demonstrators chanted "Fire Fauci," calling for Trump to remove the man leading the White House task force against the virus.
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Others chanted "Let us work!" and "Make American free again," as they paraded up and down 11th Street at the Congress Avenue intersection in Austin.
Dr Tony Fauci has become a target for some on the right, with a recent claiming he is part of a "deep state" conspiracy against Trump racking up 6million views.
The viral footage is rife with misinformation about Fauci and .
Austin was one of several cities that saw protests on Saturday.
The demonstrations came after Trump defended tweets in which he endorsed the protests against stringent lockdown measures, despite warnings from health experts.
At his Friday briefing, Trump said some measures imposed by Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia - all three run by Democratic governors and likely swing states in the November election - had been "too tough".
Earlier, he wrote in a series of tweets: "LIBERATE MINNESOTA", "LIBERATE MICHIGAN" and then "LIBERATE VIRGINIA".
The curbs, which include stay-at-home orders and the closure of non-essential businesses, are needed to slow the spread of the virus, which has killed more than 37,000 Americans so far.
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The protest in Texas, which is led by a Republican governor Greg Abbott, was organized and promoted by Inforwars, the conspiracy-pushing website based in Austin that has called the coronavirus epidemic "propaganda" to defeat Trump in the election.
The site's founder Alex Jones was at the demonstration.
The protest follows:
- Trump saying
- The exact reopening date will be at governors' discretion
- NY
- Trump slamming Dems for "killing American business" as
- Dems blocking GOP request for $250 billion more in paycheck funding
- The FDA chief saying the
About two dozen Austin police and Texas Department of Public Safety officers were deployed.
Protesters say the lockdown, which curbs the spread of coronavirus, is hurting citizens by stifling economic activity.
The US is currently the coronavirus outbreak epicenter, with 709,202 cases and 37,135 deaths.
Globally, some 2.2million people have tested positive and nearly 157,000 have died.
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Gov Abbott has already said that restrictions will begin easing next week, while Indiana Gov Eric Holcomb who signed an agreement with six other Midwestern states to coordinate reopening said he would extend his stay-at-home order until May 1.
Meanwhile, infections kept surging in the Northeast.
Rhode Island, sandwiched between the hot spots of Massachusetts and New York, has seen a steady daily increase in the number of infections and deaths, with nursing home residents accounting for more than 90 of the state's 118 deaths.
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Its death rate of around 10 people per 100,000 population is among the highest per capita in the nation, according to data compiled by the COVID Tracking Project.
Massachusetts had its highest number of deaths in a single day yesterday with 159.
Republican Gov Charlie Baker said it would be premature for states to begin lifting restrictions when deaths are still climbing.
Citing the advice of health experts, he said states should look for infection rates and hospitalizations to be on the decline for about two weeks before acting.
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