Some 114,000 people have rallied across France to denounce what they see as government intrusion into their private lives. The protests were in response to the rollout of Covid-19 certificates and mandatory vaccination plans.
Thousands-strong protests took place in major French cities on Saturday, with a total of 137 protest events reported by the Interior Ministry. The biggest march in Paris drew about 18,000 people. The activists were chanting “Liberty!” and carrying signs protesting the policies of President Emmanuel Macron and demanding his resignation.
On Monday, it was announced that health workers will have to be vaccinated by mid-September or lose their jobs. In August, France is to make Covid-19 passports required to visit public spaces like restaurants. The paper certifies that a person has been vaccinated, has recently recovered from the disease, or has a fresh negative test.
The protesters see such health policies as unacceptable coercion, discrimination against vaccine sceptics, and a slide towards tyranny on the part of the government. Smaller rallies against the proposed measures happened in France throughout the week.
Forsided, 19.07.2021