# authorization
On Monday, city workers took to the streets to protest Mayor Bill de Blasio's vaccine mandate for the entire city workforce.
At least 20 people were arrested during the protests, police sources said.
About 5,000 angry demonstrators crossed the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan days after the mayor announced that all government employees except prison workers would need to get vaccinated or take unpaid leave by Friday.
Many carried American flags and chanted "F-K de Blasio" and "We will not comply!"
Some protesters wore NYPD and FDNY shirts, some carried Gadsden's "Don't Tread on Me" flag, while others went to the extreme of wearing David's yellow star, comparing vaccination requirements to the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany.
"Now, after numerous emergencies -- Hurricane Sandy, the blizzard... I was threatened. We face the threat of losing our livelihoods because we still choose to protect our bodies, "fumed firefighter Sofia Medina after the crowd arrived at city hall.
"Why now we are being bribed and forced to take medicine. We are not and have not been a public health threat."