WATCH police arrest anti-vaccine protesters at Burger King

Five people were taken into custody by New York City police officers on Monday night during a protest against mandated vaccinations against coronavirus. The incident, which was caught on camera, has since gone viral.

The maskless group entered the Brooklyn Burger King and demanded service, something visitors can be denied due to the city’s policies on masking and vaccination statuses. 

The current policy requires people to show proof of their vaccination in order to eat indoors in the city, which the protesters refused to do. Police were called when they repeatedly refused to leave the fast food restaurant. 

Footage from the incident shows numerous officers at the scene, and demonstrators chanting “shame on you!” and "do not comply" while yelling at the officers. Five people were issued bench warrants and charged with trespassing. The five were identified as Michael Mitchell, Augusto Alarcon, Ethan Boisvert, Mitchell Bosch, and Bradford Solomon, all between the ages of 36 and 44.

Earlier this month, six people were similarly arrested for trespassing after entering Cheesecake Factory in the Queens Center mall, while ignoring current health guidelines in the city. Bosch, a military veteran, was also arrested in that group. An earlier protest on Monday by the same group outside the office of Mayor-Elect Eric Adams demanded an end to the mandates when Adams takes office in January.

Footage of the Burger King arrests has caused a stir on social media, where vaccine mandate critics have labeled the arrests as extreme and a potential sign of things to come elsewhere. Others questioned the amount of police deployed to handle the protesters in favor of dealing with arguably more serious crime. 

Footage of the Burger King arrests has caused a stir on social media, where vaccine mandate critics have labeled the arrests as extreme and a potential sign of things to come elsewhere. Others questioned the amount of police deployed to handle the protesters in favor of dealing with arguably more serious crime. 

The protesters still had their fair share of critics, with some suggesting getting the vaccine is a simple alternative to being arrested.