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Creative Commons

Firefighters and police officers across the nation are pushing back against the coronavirus vaccine mandate. One prominent effort is taking place in Los Angeles, where Firefighters 4 Freedom is leading an effort against vaccination.

“It’s not necessarily whether or not I want to get vaccinated. The point that we are bringing to the table here is that we should have a choice in the matter,” Firefighters 4 Freedom leader John Knox told "Fox & Friends" host Ainsley Earhardt. 

A group of Los Angeles firefighters organized Firefighters 4 Freedom “to stop the mandated vaccinations for all city employees as well as the citizens of this great country.” The goal is "to bring education and truth to the people without being censored,” according to the website.

The Los Angeles Times reported that unions representing police and firefighters warn terminating or prompting employees to leave over vaccine status will make the city less safe.

Knox reported they plan to fight the vaccine mandate in court.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Firefighters 4 Freedom attorney Kevin McBride will challenge the law based on a privacy clause in the California Constitution. McBride maintains his clients’ rights are protected by the state’s Medical Experimentation Act.

Knox said that the firefighters and police officers feel the vaccine mandate is "unconstitutional both federally and at the state level."

"We feel that we have the right to have informed consent and that we should be able to make the decision what we do with our bodies and not be told what we need to do," he said. 

Fire and police departments in other areas are also rising up.

A local branch of the International Association of Fire Fighters in Washington State told Governor Jay Inslee that, “We are against mandatory vaccinations that strip away our members’ right to choose and would also lead to them to be terminated from a career they have worked hard for and served selflessly to our communities, even during this pandemic.”

Police and fire unions in Newark, New Jersey, protested the mayor’s vaccine mandate outside city hall. Police unions from Chicago to Richmond also have fought against mandates in their cities.

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