Sign up for the Guardian Today US newsletter
At least 100 people gathered in front of the Idaho state capital on Saturday to burn masks, in protest at measures to limit infections and deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Some groups, predominantly right-wing, say that the masks’ mandates are a restriction on their freedoms. Health experts say they help to slow the spread of the disease.
More than 170,000 Idaho residents were infected with the virus last year and nearly 1,900 died. Johns Hopkins University estimates the case count in the U.S. at almost 29 million and the death toll at more than 523,000.
Videos posted on social media on Saturday showed adults in Boise encouraging children to throw masks on the fire. A child was heard to say: “Here, fire, are you hungry? Here’s another mask. “
Idaho Republican Governor Brad Little has never issued a masking mandate across the state, but seven counties and 11 cities have that mandate in place.
Visitors to the capital in Boise must wear masks, but they are not mandatory and few Republican lawmakers wear them. A Republican on Wednesday introduced legislation to ban masking mandates.
Other Republican-led states have decided to end mandates and reopen their economies, citing a decrease in the number of cases and an increase in the availability of vaccines – an effort driven by the federal government.
Amid warnings of a possible fourth increase in cases if public health measures are abandoned too soon, Joe Biden accused these Republican leaders this week of “Neanderthal thinking”. Republicans protested.
In Boise, a man identified as Darr Moon, organizer of Saturday’s event, told reporter Sergio Olmos in images posted on Twitter: “I think people need to realize that we are here today to control the government, to reestablish our republican form of government , government that has balance between the branches.
“And we believe that we need a well-defined government, certain limits and that is not what we have today.”
While the event was taking place, senators in Washington were approving a $ 1.9 trillion stimulus and relief package designed to bolster efforts against the pandemic and revive the economy it has hit. Joe Biden welcomed the development and said he hoped to sanction the bill next week.
Moon also said that Boise’s event was representative of a “widespread popular uprising”.
Elms too filmed a protester burning a mask with “Biden sucks” written on it, another Burning a photo of “Sleepy Joe” and others refusing a police request to put out a fire.
Amid the reaction on social media, political scientist Ian Bremmer said: “The ritualized mask burning in Boise wins this week’s award for acts of symbolic stupidity.”