Dear Sir,

Today’s front-page story in the newspaper (May 3, 2021) about the “Bermuda freedom car/bike rally” caught my attention. A few things bothered me.

First, you failed to catch the not-so-disguised profanity on the young lady’s T-shirt. That doesn’t belong on the front page of the Gazette. There is no doubt to its meaning from crowdsourced dictionaries that make the term popular.

Second, the gentleman holding the statistics of survival rates. It struck me as a bit cold as he stands there in his safe zone of 99.98 per cent. I doubt the families of the 29 souls [now 31] who lost their lives to Covid are comforted by those odds. Those over the age of 70 wouldn’t be so happy even at 94.6 per cent if, God forbid, Bermuda ever gets an outbreak such as what India and other countries around the world are now facing.

We need to do everything possible to stop the spread of the virus in order to prevent mutations that may reduce the effectiveness of existing vaccines. If the mutations continue through an unprotected society, we will all be in grave danger no matter what your age. While we continue to enjoy our right not to take a vaccine, all of us better realise that the Government will protect the needs of the many over the few — always and as necessary at a cost to freedoms.

I completely support a citizen’s right to protest against government. It is their right and long may it last. However, it is with great sadness that in the same paper there are two young men remembered, both gunned down in an apparent cases of mistaken identity.

Why are we not marching for Jordan Outerbridge and Jason Smith? Now that’s a cause I would rally for!

JONATHAN GRAY

Southampton

Editor’s note: We acknowledge the writer’s concerns and apologise for any inconvenience caused over the use of the offending photograph.