Thursday, July 9, 2026

The Guardian’s view on French Covid protesters: attention must be paid | Editorial


Secondy According to French standards, there have been no major protests across the country for four consecutive weekends.On Saturday, an estimated 230,000 marchers crowded the streets and squares against the new Covid Pass This will be required from Monday.In contrast, two years ago, the number of candidates for the election proposed by President Emmanuel Macron increased nearly fourfold. Pension reform. Polls Shows that the vast majority of French citizens support the new regulations, which means that visitors to restaurants and other public places must present a vaccination certificate or a negative test. The rule will also force health workers and other occupations to perform jabs.

Since Mr. Macron expressed his intention to move in this direction last month, Europe has been following suit, although in the UK, Boris Johnson (Boris Johnson) Preferred wait. Germany Similar measures are planned within a few weeks. Italy The “Green Pass” was launched on Friday. The public health benefits of increasing vaccination rates and making the social environment as safe as possible are indisputable. Due to concerns about the spread of the Delta variant and the announcement of the Covid Pass, the vaccination rate in France has surged. More than 60% of people over 12 years old have now received their first jab. The Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that the pass represents a “balanced trade-off” between public health issues and personal freedom. Mr. Macron generally accepted his general opinion, so he has the right to believe that the policy is successful. But he and other European leaders have good reasons to pay close attention to the nature of the continuing dissent.

Conspiracy theorists and eccentric liberals must be fringe figures in the anti-pass movement in France and elsewhere. However, as the digital age extends deeper and deeper into our private lives, legitimate concerns about intrusive surveillance of the society should be respected and resolved.This dissatisfaction shows the resentment and alienation that caused political turmoil Europe It has not disappeared in recent years.

Protests in France have received support from the extreme left and the extreme right. More broadly, they inspired similarly disillusioned voters, who in 2018 began a long-term rebellion against Mr Macron’s rule. Vest yellow This movement followed the increase in fuel taxes, but quickly evolved into a general challenge to the established elite and political power centers, and sometimes even violent challenges. Although passers-by focus on the subject of personal freedom, they are also deeply suspicious and distrustful of the motives of the strong.in a interview Last week, the angry Mr. Macron stated that the attitude of the demonstrators was “a threat to democracy.” They confuse everything. Thousands of people have lost their minds so much that they can say that we are living in a dictatorship. “But opinion polls show that about one third Of French people expressed sympathy for the protests.What’s disturbing is that a few people seem to have lost confidence in the political class. This can be seen from a significant level. Abstain In the recent local elections.

Hope that Covid will fade away as a threat. However, as states and governments attempt an important transition to net zero carbon emissions, the support and trust of all citizens will be critical due to severe disruptions in daily life. Protests in France warned that this may not be easy.



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