Assaults, abuse, bad behaviour - Vax the way, aha, aha

[countessalmirena]

This thread is for news reports, police reports, etc., concerning abusive behaviour, assaults, or other types of bad behaviour by people who become aggressive when asked to QR-scan in, show vaccination certificate, asked to wear masks where they are required, and so on.

It's also for discussion of those behaviours and reports.

It would be very desirable if there were some way to de-escalate these conflicts and reassure people who don't want to be vaccinated that they can still buy online without risking anyone else's health by their stance... or find some other means of calming down the situation.

It may not be possible; people who are anti-COVID-vaccination are generally speaking extremely convinced of the rightness of their views, and I understand and respect the right of people to refuse vaccination... as long as those people in turn respect the right of communities in general to protect themselves. It is a terrible conflict, and I do realise that for some it's a religious matter, for some it is a cultural matter, for some it's very difficult to go against family, for some it's a matter of "Don't tell me what to do, because if you do, I absolutely won't do whatever it is you want me to do", for some it's the "rabbit-hole", for some it's because so much misinformation is flooding their social media that they are terrified of the vaccines... so there are a number of issues here.

Anyway, let's have at it.

[janeababe]

She will need to prove she’s had covid and the rapid test won’t be proof.  

Having had covid, only make her exempt from getting the vaccine for 6mths.

After that, she will be required to have the vaccine. 

I don’t know how she has slipped through the cracks this long tbh.

[sandypebbles]

Most worms are hugely talented at slipping through cracks

[countessalmirena]

Two shot dead in Moscow by man reportedly told by security guard to put on a face mask

A gunman opened fire in a Moscow government services centre and killed two people, reportedly after being told to put on a face mask, authorities and Russia media say.

Four other people were wounded in the incident on Tuesday.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said a suspect had been detained.

The suspect is a 45-year-old Moscow resident, according to the Russian interior ministry.

A 10-year-old girl was among the people wounded.

State news agency Tass reported that the man drew out a gun and started firing shots after an argument with a security guard who asked him to put on a face mask.

Masks are mandatory in indoor public places like municipal services centres, where residents apply for passports, obtain real estate documents and get help with other bureaucratic tasks.

Russia's Interfax news agency reported that a Glock handgun was found at the site of the shooting.

Ownership of handguns and other short-barrelled weapons is severely restricted in Russia.

Only professional sports shooters are allowed to own them, and the weapons must be stored at shooting clubs.

Russia's Investigative Committee has launched a criminal probe into the incident, with a view to placing charges of murder and illegal arms trafficking.

If convicted, the assailant could face life in prison.

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-08/row-over-face-mask-may-have-led-to-moscow-shooting/100684670

It's hard to believe that someone would so value his "right" not to wear a mask that he'd think it is proportionate to deprive others of their "right" to live. Which right is more intrinsic? Not a hard question to answer...

[springyzone]

That's because you're rational.

I think there is often something not quite right mentally or emotionally with those who open fire on random members of the public.

If it hadn't been the mask request, it probably would have been something else. After all, the shooter was already travelling around with a loaded gun at the ready.

[countessalmirena]

German police 'foil anti-vaxxer murder plot' against state premier

German police say they have foiled a plot by anti-vaccination activists to murder the state premier of Saxony in eastern Germany as concerns grow over an increasingly violent pushback against COVID-19 vaccination plans.

The alleged plot to kill Michael Kretschmer is the latest in a series of incidents that underscore the anger of some Germans over restrictions on the unvaccinated and plans to make vaccinations compulsory for the general population.

Members of a group called "Dresden Offlinevernetzung", or "Dresden offline network", had suggested in a chat on messaging platform Telegram that they might be in possession of firearms and crossbows, Saxony police said on Twitter.

The investigation targeted six suspects — five men and a woman — aged between 32 and 64, Dresden Public Prosecutor's Office said, adding that several pieces of evidence had been found, including crossbows.

Germany's COVID-19 death toll passed 100,000 last month and the country has been battling a new surge of infections.

'A line has been crossed'

Mr Kretschmer, a member of Germany's opposition conservatives, has been calling for a hard lockdown to break a fourth wave of infections in his state.

He said the right to free speech should be respected but not used as a cover for violence, adding that the Saxony state government would mobilise additional staff to combat radicalism.

"Of course you can say what you don't like. But when violence comes into play, it's over," Mr Kretschmer told reporters.

"A line has been crossed which we will not tolerate."

Saxony has the second-highest seven-day incidence of COVID-19 among Germany's 16 federal states, at 824 per 100,000 people compared with a national incidence of 353.

In Saxony, in the former Communist East Germany, around 62 per cent of the population has had two vaccinations, compared with 70 per cent nationwide.

It is a stronghold of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) group, which harbours many vaccine sceptics and anti-lockdown protesters.

Protests against COVID-19 restrictions in Germany have become more violent, with increased attacks on doctors, politicians and journalists.

"Such attacks were unthinkable just a few years ago," said Klaus Reinhardt, head of the German Medical Association.

In September, a vaccination centre in Saxony was the target of an arson attack.

Earlier this month, a group of protesters gathered outside the home of Saxony's health minister holding lit torches, in what was seen as an implicit threat of violence.

German broadcaster ARD reported on Tuesday that more than a dozen politicians, media outlets and public institutions received letters that threatened "bloody resistance" against the measures and included a wrapped chunk of meat.

Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office has classified vaccination opponents and coronavirus deniers as a "relevant risk".

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-16/german-police-foil-anti-vaxxer-murder-plot-against-state-prem...