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Anti-maskers march through Florida Target and call for shoppers to take off their masks

Trump supporter and children were among the dozen anti-maskers marching

Graig Graziosi
Wednesday 16 September 2020 20:04 BST
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A video that went viral on Wednesday showed a small group of people who oppose the use of face masks to stymie the spread of coronavirus marching through a Target store in Florida.

The footage begins with the strange procession of anti-maskers marching along the white tile lanes of a Target store toward the camera.  

A woman at the head of the group throws her hands into the air and yells "take it off" to other shoppers presumably looking on from beyond the frame of the video.  

As the group nears the person filming, a woman can be heard muttering "f****** idiots."  

The video continues as a very excitable man in a red shirt starts pointing to shoppers and hopping around while holding what appears to be a bluetooth speaker blasting Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It."

The group of about a dozen anti-maskers in the video was mostly young and included several children, as well as a man wearing a red MAGA hat.  

At one point, a woman walking with the group yells "look at these kids" and points to a group of young children who are marching without masks.  

"Let them be an example!" she yells.  

The video caught the attention of Dee Snider, the frontman for Twisted Sister. He shared his thoughts on the protest in a tweet.  

"No... these selfish a******** do not have my permission or blessing to use my song for their moronic cause. #cutthes***," he wrote.  

Support for face mask usage has fallen along political lines to a degree, as the overwhelming majority of anti-mask advocates appear to be supporters of Donald Trump and adherents to right-wing ideology.  

However, the anti-mask crowd appears to bee unpopular even amongst Mr Trump's supporters; a New York Times poll found that 59 per cent of Trump supporters agree that masks should be required in public spaces, and 81 per cent of individuals who support for mandatory mask use believe the president shares their views.  

Mr Trump's views on mask usage have predictably shifted with the president's whims.  

In July, the president urged citizens to wear masks in public and follow social distancing guidelines "if it's necessary." The statement was a stark turn from his previous rhetoric on mask usage.  

Prior to his statement in July, Mr Trump refused to wear a mask, going so far as to mock his rival in the 2020 US election Joe Biden for wearing one and refusing to put one on in front of the press because he didn't want to be photographed wearing the covering.  

Eventually he broke down and wore a mask while visiting the Walter Reed National Medical Center, and since then has supported their use.  

At a recent rally in Nevada, the Trump campaign handed out masks to attendees as they entered the venue. However, video and reports from the rally showed that few attendees were adhering to social distancing and face mask guidelines.

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