David Crawford, has been opposing the anti-COVID-19 restriction protestors in Kelowna for more than a month. Each week, he stands with his signs along Harvey Avenue.

(CARLI BERRY / iNFOnews.ca)

Every Saturday, David Crawford grabs his signs and heads to Harvey Avenue to oppose the ongoing anti-COVID-19 restriction rallies in Kelowna.

“I’ve been doing this since mid-December and mainly did it out of trying to be cheeky to these guys and make fun of them since they were getting all the publicity,” the Kelowna resident said today, Jan. 30. Typically he is the only person protesting the anti-maskers along the highway, but a friend joined him Saturday to support the cause.

Anti-COVID-19 restriction protests have been held every Saturday in the city, and have become a regular event since provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry mandated mask-use indoors and temporarily banned social gatherings until at least Feb. 5.

The organizer of the rallies, David Lindsay, who has given a speech in Stuart Park every Saturday, has a history of frivolous lawsuits and has spent time in jail for refusing to pay taxes. He also has ties to an alleged white supremacist. This weekend, roughly 100 supporters gathered to listen to him with signs like “99.98% survival rate is not a pandemic,” .

READ MORE': She's a liar,' Kelowna anti-COVID-19 restriction rally organizer takes aim at Dr. Bonnie Henry

Kelowna RCMP officers have fined the organizer of these protests multiple times, but did not name Lindsay as the recipient of the fines.

Crawford, who works in the healthcare sector, said he is a big supporter of science and his colleagues, which prompted him to carry signs saying “ignorance ahead” pointing to the anti-COVID-19 restriction protestors along the highway and “yay science, yay vaccines.”

“I was so happy to see all the supporters at City Hall today, which got me thinking ‘wow, we had more anti-protestors than I realized,’” he said.

In recent weeks, a small group of protestors have started gathering at City Hall across from the anti-restriction rallies, wearing masks and interrupting Lindsay’s speeches with a megaphone.

Crawford said the reception of his signs has been positive overall.

“I really wish some of the nurses could see this… there’s a lot of love, lots of smiles and honks, it’s awesome,” he said.

It got a bit heated this afternoon, as protestors yelled back and forth in the park, he said.

“I thought I was a lone wolf crying in the wilderness and turns out I’m not… I know there’s a lot of support for us out there… people are supportive of this online,” he said.

READ MORE: Anti-COVID-restriction rallies spark community backlash

“It’s time to support the front line, not necessarily me. It’s the frontline people, doctors and nurses and custodians in the hospital, all these other people who are keeping us all safe, or that will deal with these twits when they get sick.”

Crawford’s signs are meant to be humorous, and he said he is willing to sit down and have a dialogue with the anti-restriction protestors if they’d like.

He was glad to see the RCMP around, as there were incidents where large trucks had swerved toward him as he stood beside the highway, he said. But, he wasn't too bothered by them.

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