Grassroots or astroturf, anti-quarantine protests are an American mess. Last week, protesters gathered in cities across the United States, nominally to insist that governments lift the social distancing guidelines put in place to curb the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. While some carried the kind of signs you’d expect at a gathering meant to denounce an extended quarantine period—“Fear Is the Real Virus,” “This ‘Cure’ Is Deadlier Than Covid”—concern about the economic impact of social distancing was far from the demonstrators’ only issue. They are also concerned about gun rights, socialism, immigration, the Constitution, medical freedom, abortion. And, because white nationalists are always eager to append themselves to any group of angry (white) people, there were also a few Confederate flag-wavers talking about revolution.
As protesters hoped, media response was strong and immediate. Hosts like Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro praised the demonstrators for their gumption, even as Fox executives urged anchors to remind their viewers to practice social distancing. Mainstream outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post charted the protests’ ties to powerful and wealthy organizations with ties to the Trump administration, suggesting that they were in part fomented by companies that stand to gain from the economy reopening, a practice known as astroturfing.
Many outlets, including WIRED, reminded readers that the groups of demonstrators are pint-sized compared to the vast majority of Americans who support social distancing and that protesters have much to gain from your attention. Further left, the anti-lockdown protests are being talked about as something that you must attend to or else risk a repeat of the Tea Party movement’s rise to power. Already, Snopes and others are having to debu
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