Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across France over the weekend to demonstrate against the government’s COVID-19 vaccine passport mandate that prevents unvaccinated individuals from entering restaurants and bars, as well as taking long-distance trips.
Protesters often chanted “freedom,” “pass equals apartheid,” and “take back your pass,” referring to the vaccine passport. Some French citizens told media outlets that they joined the demonstrations because the COVID-19 passports limit their freedoms and are a way to segregate society for political purposes, rather than health reasons.
Crowds were seen marching in Paris, Nice, Marseille, and other French cities.
The French Parliament approved the COVID-19 health pass law in late July, requiring citizens to show the pass in public areas, proving they’ve been vaccinated or recently tested negative for the virus. The country’s top court upheld the law earlier this month, as well as a law mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for all health workers.
And while some media outlets claimed the protests were part of the “anti-vax” movement, many French demonstrators have said they support the vaccines but not the restrictions.
Roughly 1,600 police officers were deployed for three separate marches in Paris. Authorities didn’t provide information on whether there were any arrests.
As of Aug. 13, 46.1 million people in France, nearly 68.5 percent of the population, had received at least one vaccine dose and more than 38.8 million, or 57.5 percent, had received two doses.
Over the past weekend, there were also demonstrations in Quebec, Canada, which recently mandated COVID-19 vaccine passports for restaurants, bars, and gyms.
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