MSNBC anchor says NYPD officers refusing vaccine are putting on 'a show for attention'

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MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle did not approve of police officers protesting vaccine mandates in New York.

Ruhle retweeted a photo of a massive line of police officers preparing to call in sick in protest of the mandate to be vaccinated against COVID-19 on Monday. She stated that the image was not a protest but rather a "show for attention." 

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 24: Stephanie Ruhle, Anchor, MSNBC, speaks onstage during the 2019 Concordia Annual Summit - Day 2 at Grand Hyatt New York on September 24, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit) (Photo by Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

"This is NOT how you call out sick. This is how you put on a show for attention," Ruhle tweeted.

The New York City vaccine mandate officially went into effect on Monday. According to data released by the New York City Mayor's Office, 22,000 municipal workers remain unvaccinated with approximately nine thousand workers being placed on unpaid leave for refusing the vaccine.

A New York Police Department vehicle makes its way along Fifth Avenue during the Columbus Day Parade in New York City, U.S., October 11, 2021. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (Reuters)

"Nine thousand people [were] placed on leave without pay today," Mitch Schwartz, a spokesperson for the mayor, told Fox News on Monday morning.  "The rest are in various stages of having their accommodation requests reviewed. They can be at work."

Last month, the Police Benevolent Association in New York also filed a lawsuit against the mandate insisting that officers "have rights to medical autonomy and religious observance that would be violated by forcing them to submit to a vaccination."

There have also been several protests and lawsuits filed against the New York mandate.  

Ruhle has also been critical of those who chose not to get vaccinated, claiming that those who were unvaccinated could simply work from home. 

"I'm puzzled by these people who continue to say they’re forced to get vaccinated here. There’s always been a choice. If you do not want to get vaccinated, you can work from home, you can home school your children, you can shop online," Ruhle said.

A New York City police car is pictured, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 1, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri (Reuters)

While the New York mandate is still being enforced, an Illinois judge recently issued a temporary restraining order against a similar mandate in Chicago, siding with the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police.

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Fox News’ Emma Colton, Louis Casiano, Greg Norman, and Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.