CONCORD — The protective masks were scarce, but the signs were everywhere.
Defying a ban on large gatherings, hundreds of people swarmed outside the Statehouse plaza Saturday afternoon, packing the sidewalk along North Main Street in Concord to protest the continued shutdown of “non-essential” businesses and restaurants in New Hampshire.
The argument was simple: The damage to the state’s economy will be more severe than the virus itself. As flags waved, demonstrators of all ages leaned in to listen to speeches echoing from a megaphone, huddled close amid frigid temperatures.
“End the lockdown,” read several signs.
“Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God,” another said.
“What happened to ‘Live Free Or Die’?” said another.
The crowd had amassed to protest a series of executive orders issued by Gov. Chris Sununu last month to shut down restaurants and businesses to foot traffic and fight back against a deadly virus with no cure.
But while health experts have encouraged that action — an action most states in the country have taken — as a way to slow the spread of the virus by limiting contact, demonstrators Saturday pointed to severe economic effects such as business closures and job losses as evidence the state needed to change course.
Sylvia Smith drove down from Littleton, N.H., to attend. To her, the relatively low case identification in the North Country meant the business shutdown order should be reversed — at least for the more rural areas of the state.
“It’s just so crazy,” she said. “We have never acted like this in our country.”
Smith carried a sign pointing to past ailments the country had faced without shutdowns, like polio and tuberculosis — two crises she herself has lived through. But she also wore a mask, and was careful to stand 6 feet away from others, shifting her position as she was interviewed to maintain that distance.
Many others did not take those precautions. Throngs of people stood shoulder to shoulder on the curb to watch and listen. It appeared that fewer than 20% wore face coverings.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that Americans stay at home as much as possible, and wear masks and maintain 6 feet of distance from others when venturing out.
Other demonstrators kept their distance on the outskirts. And a parade of cars circled the Statehouse plaza, blaring horns in support and brandishing American flags.
Occasionally, there were honks in opposition. “Go home, maggots,” shouted one person from their car.
The demonstration was dominated by participants on the political right, including several former and current Republican state representatives. And it accompanied an online petition to “Re-open NH” that has collected nearly 4,000 signatures.
For many, their frustration came down to individual liberties.
“This is a gross overstep of government. As far as I’m concerned, the governor doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally stroke a pen and destroy the economy of a state,” said Scott Sybert, from Deerfield, N.H. His sign read: “Sununu: The constitution is supposed to protect us from tyrants like you!”
Sybert and others said measures should have been taken early on to isolate seniors and vulnerable adults, while still letting the majority of the state go to work. Epidemiologists have rejected that approach, noting that the virus, which currently has no vaccine, spreads quickly and infects and kills younger adults as well.
At a press conference Friday, Sununu reiterated that the state’s restrictions would carry on for weeks if not months more, especially since the state’s rate of new cases has not slowed down. But he did say the state was open to a “hybrid” model that would allow some areas of the economy to reopen before others.
And on Saturday, the governor said he disagreed with the protesters and urged patience.
“New Hampshire’s success at social distancing and mitigation efforts has led some to believe that COVID19 is no longer a serious threat, but we are unfortunately in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and only six weeks in,” Sununu said in a statement. “I would like to urge Granite Staters to be patient. I empathize with the sentiment behind today’s rally, but we must be responsible and patient in our actions. I have no doubt that our economy will come back at 100%, but we are being responsible and laying the groundwork with a phased approach that works for New Hampshire.”
Despite the anti-government thrust, the majority of demonstrators did not take aim at Sununu, a Republican, unlike similar demonstrations this week in states with Democratic governors. Many said they were cognizant of the reasons behind the governor’s orders, even if they disagreed with them.
One speaker at the bullhorn said she didn’t blame Sununu for his decision to order the shutdown, but said it was based on “faulty models, faulty testing, faulty deaths that are attributed to COVID-19” and should now be reversed.
Others said the governor was navigating a tough political reality, and that voters on the right, while frustrated now, would be unlikely to punish him in November.
“He was sort of damned if he did, damned if he didn’t,” said Ryan Williams, a Manchester resident and member of the New England Minutemen, a paramilitary organization that showed up with firearms.
Sybert was less sympathetic. A Sununu voter in the past, Sybert said he would not be casting a vote for the governor’s reelection.
“He’s trying to appeal to both sides,” Sybert said. “But there’s no negotiating liberty.”