Kirk Cameron is giving lockdown protests a Yuletide flavor.
The Christian minister and former TV star is participating in and encouraging public carol singings as a protest against California’s stay-at-home orders amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Mr. Cameron participated in one Tuesday — in which about 100 carolers stood in close proximity and unmasked — in the parking lot of The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks.
“Today’s government leaders’ ’safety rules’ of ’no singing,’ ’wear your mask at all times’ and ’socially distance’ seem like they’re straight out of a scene from [a dystopian] movie about redefining life and reality for the ’safety of the community,’” Mr. Cameron wrote last week on Instagram.
His post, titled “My Response, Christmas Caroling Peaceful Protest” included a video of his appearance on Fox News Channel describing and defending his carol protests.
“I’m seeing the devastation and the suffering of people whose business have been bankrupted, people dealing with anxiety [and] depression, suicides spiking, the abused being quarantined with their abusers. And I can’t just ignore that. I love my neighbors and so I want to give them hope,” Mr. Cameron said.
“We’re offering a chance for people to come sing songs of hope and that’s exactly what people want to be doing at Christmas time,” he concluded.
The segment juxtaposed the criticism of Mr. Cameron’s carolers and California officials discouraging church services with a judge allowing strip clubs to operate normally.
The facilities don’t want the protesters around.
“We do not condone this irresponsible — yet constitutionally protected — peaceful protest event planned … we have reached out to the event planner to ask that they do not use The Oaks as their venue,” the Oaks wrote on its Twitter account.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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