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Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Anti-vaccine activists from across the nation will gather at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Sunday in protest of public health mandates. The movement to reject vaccine mandates has grown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Tens of millions of Americans are now participating in an anti-vaccine ideology, something that was once touted by a small group of people including religious fundamentalists and minor celebrities.
Approximately 20% of U.S. adults have refused mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
Some in the anti-vaccine movement are comparing Sunday's rally to the March For Life rally, which will take place on Friday around noon.
The "Defeat the Mandates: An American Homecoming" march comes just days after Washington, D.C., Mayor Murial Bowser enacted a vaccination mandate for indoor activities.
The event is headlined by several conservative and anti-vaccine advocates including Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
At least 20,000 people are permitted to attend the rally, according to an application submitted from Kennedy's anti-vaccine organization, Children's Health Defense, to the National Park Service.
Over 30,000 have signed up for the event online, including firefighters and first responders.
Although event organizers said the protest shouldn't disrupt local businesses, residents have taken to social media to warn one another to "protect" themselves.
A recent press release from Defeat the Mandates said that the march is a response to two years of "increasing governmental overreach in the form of mandates at local, state, and federal levels.
Attendees will gather at 10:30 a.m. at the Washington Monument, begin the march at 11:30 a.m., and end at the Lincoln Memorial. A rally is expected to start around 12:30 p.m.
