The great plague struck Marseille in 1720 and killed more than half of the city’s population. Travelers were required to carry a “health checklist”. Ships arriving in Mediterranean ports were inspected for 40 days. Health cordon Or isolation. As a gateway to trade, the city government strives to find a delicate balance between preventing the spread of disease and disrupting important businesses.
Three hundred years have passed, the president Emmanuel Macron Only eight months before he seeks re-election in April 2022, he is walking the same tricky tightrope. Unlike the old Marseilles, Macron must respond to social media.
Monday, France controversial Health Pass Will be extended to force the last group of tough vaccine skeptics to be vaccinated, triggering protests across the country for the fourth consecutive weekend. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, more than 200,000 people participated in the demonstration last week.
protest activity It has united the extreme left and extreme right and many people in between.Although almost no one opposes compulsory wearing of masks, opponents strongly believe that Health Pass Violates the most basic principles of France: free and equality National motto. Yesterday, Gilets Jaunes joined them with a jumble of anarchists, conspiracy theorists, and those who compared the French president to Adolf Hitler and his centrist government to Nazis.
The protesters pin their hopes on the Constitutional Council, a nine-member body appointed by the president and the leaders of both houses of parliament to review new legislation, which has stifled any extension of the pass. They will be disappointed. On Thursday, council members known as “sages” supported the constitutional legitimacy of almost all proposed new measures.
Later, Julian Oduar, a young rising star of the far-right National League, said: “The Constitutional Council approved a two-tier society in which there are two types of citizens. They do not have the same rights, depending on their vaccine status. This is Mark The dragon society is also a society we condemn and reject. The principles of freedom and equality are sacred.”
Presidential candidate and hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melanchon agreed, calling the health pass “ridiculous, unfair and authoritarian.”
Macron urges his countrymen Remember the third element of the motto, fraternity, Call on them to “accept these collective rules…and get vaccinated.”
“This has to do with citizenship. Freedom only exists if everyone’s freedom is protected… If we use our freedom to pollute our brothers, neighbors, friends, parents or people we meet in our activities , Then freedom is worthless. Then freedom becomes irresponsible.”
This Health pass, Passed by the French parliamentarians last month, and will continue until September 30, those who go to cinemas, theaters, museums or attend large public events have been asked to prove that they are either fully vaccinated, Covid tested negative, or certified They have been vaccinated and recovered from the coronavirus.
From August 9th, this will be extended. Anyone who wishes to dine in a restaurant or drink in a bar, even on the outdoor terrace, needs a pass, and passengers who travel long distances by train or bus or visit nursing homes and hospitals also need a pass, unless it is a medical emergency.
Since August 30, all personnel who come into contact with the public due to work must be suspended or suspended without compensation.
No one is forced to be vaccinated—except for the health and nursing home staff next month—the government insists, but they must be coerced.
It doesn’t take much to send Frenchmen to the streets-usually leads to hyperbolic observations from abroad France It is on the cusp of another bloody revolution. Having said that, the protests in August were unusual because many people were on vacation.
The sociologist Jean Viard warned that the protests were “a potentially explosive mixture.” “The boundaries are difficult to determine,” he told French TV.
Physicist and researcher François Arleo is writing an article Commentary Lean to the left release Write to a friend who is hesitant about vaccines and urge him to get vaccinated. “Think of Pasteur, not Darwin,” Alleo urged.
“The reaction was very divided and very frustrating,” he told the media. Observer“What shocks me is that many arguments lack rigorous, logical and scientific basis. I don’t want to go to class, but some educated people should understand better. This is not very rational.”
However, like many protest movements in France, there is a paradox. Macron’s coercion seemed to have worked.Since the president announced Health Pass At least 7 million French people received the first dose of the vaccine. Currently, 63.5% of the population over the age of 12 have been fully vaccinated, and the booking of the central reservation system indicates that by the end of this month, France will vaccinate at least 50 million people over the age of 12.
The poll also showed 60-70% of French people support health passes, although half of the respondents said they understand the protesters.
During Saturday’s demonstrations, some protesters anxiously pointed out that they were not opposed to vaccines in principle, but were forced to have them.
“It’s a matter of personal choice,” said Thibaud, who marched in Paris on Saturday. “Is there a risk? Life is a risk.” Another group marched with a woman dressed in Marian (female symbol of the Republic).
Arleo admitted that his appeal failed to convince his friends who did not want to be vaccinated.
“No, unfortunately, he didn’t change his mind. He said he might eventually accept the jab, otherwise life would become too complicated. But he was not satisfied with it.”
