Hoisting banners and signs with slogans such as "All jobs are essential" and "Open business, close Baker," the protesters were corralled by police on opposite ends of the main road near the state house to keep traffic flowing, however a section of the street was eventually closed down for the rally.

The event was organized by conservative activists, namely radio host Jeffrey Kuhner, who addressed the crowd warning that "America is committing national suicide" with the lockdown measures, which have thrown tens of millions of citizens out of work across dozens of states.

I see churches closed, I see an economic collapse, thousands of businesses bankrupt and shuttered - all of this for a lousy virus? For a contagious flu at the absolute worse? This Is not a pandemic.

Reporters covering the rally noted that few of the demonstrators wore masks or practiced social distancing, a fact that drew criticism from some netizens, who said the protesters were putting others at risk. A state-wide mask requirement will take effect on Wednesday, mandating that all residents wear face coverings while in public, including at outdoor parks.

Massachusetts joins a long line of states where residents have grown wary of the sweeping quarantine measures, with similar protests erupting in Michigan, California, Wisconsin, Texas, Georgia, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, Minnesota, among others. The angry demonstrations come after wide swaths of the US economy were shut down under the lockdowns, prompting some 30 million Americans to file for unemployment benefits since mid March.

April 17: New outrage as new Chinese racist video trends

As China continues diplomatic efforts to quell a recent surge in protests by African governments and the African Union, AU, there is a new round of outrage on social media after a new visibly racist video was posted on Twitter on Friday.

The 38-second video has since gone viral on the social media platform. It shows Chinese officials masked and with temperature guns blocking a black woman from entering a mall.

The video originally posted on TikTok by a user @claudi405 had a series of caption amongst which were "This is the treatment black people get in China now, they were not allowed to get inside of the shopping mall."

As the blacks are stopped from entering a white shopper walks past the security, another white shopper tries to intervene but fails. "Chinese government says black people are not welcome, because they the cause of the corona virus," another caption read.

The location and date of the video is not readily known. But the video feeds into the recent outrage in southern China's Guangzhou where Africans were reportedly forcibly evicted and in some cases quarantined and tested for COVID-19.

April 14: China says 111 Africans test positive for coronavirus

The vice mayor also confirmed that a total of 4,553 African people in the city had undergone nucleic acid testing since April 4. Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province had made news headlines after a number of Africans were evicted from their places of lodging amid reports of racist abuse related to coronavirus.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday admitted receipt of complaints by African governments that foreigners of African appearance in the city of Guangzhou were being subjected to forceful testing for the coronavirus, quarantines and ill treatment. U.S. diplomats also reported that Africa-Americans had been targeted.

The statement read in part: "During our fight against the coronavirus, the Chinese government has been attaching great importance to the life and health of foreign nationals in China. All foreigners are treated equally. We reject differential treatment, and we have zero tolerance for discrimination.

April 12: African nations berate China over COVID-19 linked racism in Guangzhou

African officials are confronting China publicly and in private over racist mistreatment of Africans in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, and the U.S. says African-Americans have been targeted too.

Some Africans in the commercial hub have reported being evicted or discriminated against amid coronavirus fears. And a U.S. Embassy security alert on Saturday said that "police ordered bars and restaurants not to serve clients who appear to be of African origin," and local officials have launched mandatory testing and self-quarantine for "anyone with 'African contacts.'"

That's in response to a rise in virus infections in Guangzhou, the U.S. said, adding that "African-Americans have also reported that some businesses and hotels refuse to do business with them." The U.S. statement is titled "Discrimination against African-Americans in Guangzhou."

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