Anti-vaccine protesters demonstrated near the Republic Square to protest the new vaccine restrictions announced by President Macron on Monday. (Photo: Kiran Ridley/Getty Images)
- President Emmanuel Macron announced a plan to require a Covid-19 vaccine certificate or a negative PCR test to enter various public places.
- Macron also announced mandatory vaccination for health workers.
- A new health pass will be required from August.
Paris police clashed with protesters who opposed President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to require a Covid-19 vaccine certificate or a negative PCR test to enter bars, restaurants and cinemas starting next month.
Macron this week announced comprehensive measures to deal with the rapid surge in new coronavirus infections, including mandatory vaccination of health workers and the development of new health pass rules for the wider public.
In doing so, he has gone further than most other European countries, because the highly contagious Delta variant has caused a new wave of cases, and other governments are closely watching the French public’s response.
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When a group of protesters overturned trash cans and ignited mechanical excavators, the police fired tear gas several times. Some protesters away from skirmishes wore badges that read “No to health passes.”
Some critics of Macron’s plan, which will require shopping malls, cafes, bars, and restaurants to check the health passes of all customers starting in August, accused the president of trampling on freedom and discriminating against those who do not want to be shot by Covid.
A protester who called himself Jean-Louis said:
This is totally arbitrary and totally undemocratic.
Macron said that vaccines are the best way to get France back to normal, and he encourages as many people as possible to get vaccinated.
Protests also took place in other cities including Nantes, Marseille and Montpellier.
The expression of dissatisfaction occurred on Bastille Day, the anniversary of the attack on the medieval fortress of Paris in 1789, marking the turning point of the French Revolution.
According to French media reports, other proposals in the draft government bill include mandatory isolation of anyone who tests positive for 10 days and random inspections by the police. When asked to confirm the details, the prime minister’s office did not respond.
