Thousands of protestors swarmed the Huntington Beach, world-renown for its surfing, to protest California's stay-at-home orders.
On Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom made the decision to close all beaches in Orange County after the previous weekend had seen hordes of people ignoring public health guidelines by sunbathing and surfing.
The following day, on May 1, crowds of Californians descended on Huntington Beach Pier with placards and American flags to demand the beaches reopen.
As the above video and the following photos show, protesters did not follow social distancing guidelines.
"I served in the army and fought tyrants and dictators overseas and this has gone too far," Andrew Norman told the LA Times.
"I didn't do that to come back here and live under a tyrant in my own country."
It was one of a series of rallies across the state opposing the continued strict lockdown imposed in response to California's coronavirus crisis.
There were about a dozen organized rallies in cities including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, according to AP.
Police across the state appear to have taken a softly-softly approach with protestors, despite the fact they were violating stay-at-home requirements and not following physical distancing recommendations, reported the news agency.
Pockets of defiance have become to emerge across California. A country in the north of the state, Modoc County, home to about 9,000 people, has said it is reopening. Meanwhile, individual restaurants and hairstylists have also decided to open their doors again in rural and urban areas.
More than 2,000 people have died in California of the coronavirus, the US's most populous state.
Read the original article on Business Insider