HOUSTON – Protesters took to the streets Tuesday and gathered outside City Hall amid controversy about film that purports links between a particular vaccine and an increase in autism cases. The independent film — "Vaxxed" — was pulled from the annual WorldFest Houston International Film Festival lineup last week.
The demonstration was aimed at Mayor Sylvester Turner, who protesters said was responsible for the film being pulled.
Festival organizers said "Vaxxed" was pulled for an unrelated issue. However, even after WorldFest officials decided not to show the documentary, they say the mayor's office, and voices from the state and federal levels, all put pressure on them to make sure they didn't change their minds. They said they were even threatened with a loss of thousands of dollars in much-needed funding.
Protesters said it was a bad decision.
"Whatever your side of the story is, this is about censorship and every Houstonian has a right to see that movie," protester Catherine Masha said. "It's not up to the mayor to make that decision."
A spokesman for the mayor told Channel 2 that Turner asked that the movie be removed from the film festival lineup because he felt it was counter to the city's efforts to ensure children receive vaccinations.
The film is set to be released in theaters in the coming months.