Far-right activists and members of the French Yellow Vest Movement protested on Saturday against a bill requiring everyone to have a special virus pass to enter restaurants and other places and forcing all health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Lawmakers in the French Senate are debating the bill on Saturday after it was approved by the lower house of parliament on Friday.
The number of virus infections in France has surged, and the number of hospitalizations has risen again. The government is working hard to speed up vaccination rates to protect vulnerable groups and hospitals and avoid new lockdowns.
Most French adults have been fully vaccinated, and opinion polls show that most French people support the new measures.
But not everyone. Protesters chanted “Freedom! Freedom!” marching through Paris in one of the multiple demonstrations planned on Saturday.
Over the weekend, more than 100,000 people protested these measures across France. They include far-right politicians and activists, and others who are angry with President Emmanuel Macron for various reasons.
The remaining members of the French yellow vest movement, mainly political extremists, are also using the virus bill to try to reignite its flames. The movement started in 2018 when it was a widespread uprising against economic injustice and led to months of protests characterized by violence between demonstrators and the police, but the French government addressed the concerns of many protesters After calm down.
© 2021 Canadian Press
