Saturday afternoon saw a different type of demonstration in London, a rally in support of healthcare workers.
After watching the news coverage surrounding last week’s anti-COVID-19-mandate protest in Ottawa, Dr. Abe Oudshoorn decided that “Love is Better Than Hate” and organized the event immediately.
“Everything just felt really heavy,” he said in an interview with London News Today. “I decided I needed to do something to lift this and to show our thanks, to show the love again and to bring us all back to the fact that there are so many good people out there doing good things.”
Oudshoorn said approximately 100 people came out to London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s to demonstrate their appreciation for frontline workers.
We left some love behind at @LHSCCanada and @stjosephslondon for any health care workers that didn't see our rally of
pic.twitter.com/r7qUBIGGrv
— Dr Abe (@AbeOudshoorn) February 5, 2022
The rally was planned ahead of any knowledge of the convoy that rolled through London at the same time. “It was weird timing,” Oudshoorn admitted.
There was no controversy during the hour and a half long event, but even if there had been Oudshoorn said that demonstrators were focused on the positive.
“[People] were waving, smiling, and yelling thank you. They were honking their horns and blowing kisses and everything. It was a great atmosphere.”
Dr. Oudshoorn is an Associate Professor of Nursing at Western University and wanted the demonstration to remind people of the “incredible work” doctors, nurses, and all healthcare workers do on a daily basis.
For those who won’t able to make it to the rally or were inspired by it Oudshoorn suggested that, if possible, a donation to either the St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation or the London Health Sciences Foundation is a great way to support London’s hospitals.
