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Organizers said about 70 people converged Saturday in front of City Hall to oppose the new flu vaccine mandate for children and young adults.

The local protest was one of six held across the state by No Mandatory Flu Shot MA.

Sutton's Candice Edwards, who started the organization, said the state is unnecessarily and unfairly forcing parents into vaccinating their children against the flu.

Edwards said her 5-year-old son has not had an immunization since he was 6 months, and suffered permanent developmental issues from the reaction from some vaccines.

"One of the things that parents are very angry about is they fully vaccinate their children, but have chosen to forgo a single vaccine and now, they're being bullied and being kicked out of their doctors' offices and being labeled antivaxxers," Edwards said.

The Aug. 19 mandate, the first in the country, requires all children 6 months old or older attending child care, preschool, kindergarten, K-12 and higher education institutions to receive a flu vaccine by Dec. 31, unless a medical or religious exemption is provided.

K-12 students who are home-schooled and college students who are engaged in remote learning off campus are not required to follow the mandate. But elementary and secondary school students in districts and schools that are using a remote education model are not exempt.

Students are required to have the immunization to return to school in January. Enforcement will be by local authorities.