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‘That’s Life. People Die’: Anti-Mask Protesters Reportedly Clash With Authorities, Store Owners In California Shopping Mall

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Kyle Heckman Contributor
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Anti-mask demonstrators in California were met with resistance Sunday while violating and staging demonstrations against the state’s COVID-19 regulations.

Some in the group of protesters were livestreaming while making their way through the Westfield Century Mall, reports Newsweek.

The videos show the protesters being met with resistance from other shoppers, ranging from shouting matches to physical altercations.

One of the protestors, Shiva Bagheri, said the regulations were, “all about control, this has nothing to do with a deadly virus … because a mask does not protect you from a deadly virus,” according to Newsweek.

Protesters clashed with other shoppers elsewhere, with one protester calling a shopper a “mask Nazi.” Other protesters were chanting “no more masks” while marching through a Bloomingdales at the the Century City Mall. Others danced to the “YMCA” changing the lyrics to “MAGA.” (RELATED: New York Restaurant’s Liquor License Revoked After Hosting Republican Club’s ‘COVID Conga Line’ Party)

Daily Sundial reporter, Emily Holshouser, said that one of the most intense moments was when a shopper confronted a protester and told him that her mother was currently in the hospital with COVID-19. The protester then said, “That’s life. People die,” reports Newsweek.

A clip tweeted by an eyewitness shows one of the main protesters being detained by police after getting into a physical altercation with a mall shopper. It is unknown how many of the protesters were detained during the various demonstrations, reports Newsweek. The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

California law states that people must wear a mask when outside of their home in order to protect against COVID-19. California has seen 26,000 deaths due to the virus, with 585 being recorded Jan. 1.