Despite the strong police force to prevent their entry, a part of the demonstrators of the self-proclaimed liberty convoys against covid passport They managed to enter Paris this Saturday. Many of the motorized demonstrators had to leave their vehicles on the outskirts and joined without them several thousand people who, like every Saturday, took to the streets to protest against health restrictions, especially the vaccination passport, and the rise in prices, mainly fuel prices. A march that had permission to take place, unlike the motorized groups, who arrived in cars, motorcycles, motorhomes, vans and even trucks from all over France – inspired by the similar protest that has paralyzed part of Canada – and who were seeking blockade the French capital over the weekend. Paris was the stop prior to Brussels, where a “European convergence” is called on Monday to take this protest to the EU institutions.
The entry into Paris of the French motorized movement against the vaccination passport became a game of cat and mouse with the strong police device deployed to prevent its entry into the French capital, where they sought to demonstrate against what they define as “tyranny”. ” of health restrictions or the rise in energy prices, among others. In mid-afternoon, the Police Prefecture, which on Thursday announced the ban on convoy demonstrations and had deployed more than 7,200 agents throughout Paris, as well as tanks and tugboats to take away any vehicle that impedes traffic, reported the arrest of 14 people and more than 330 fines imposed for “participation in a prohibited demonstration”.
On the Champs Elysées, despite being practically taken over by the security forces, some protesters managed to march, although the police used tear gas to disperse them. This place in the heart of Paris has become a symbol of the protests of the yellow vests, that three years ago put the government of Emmanuel Macron in check and in which the new convoys are also inspired, many of them made up of members of that movement. The agents also removed two trucks that had managed to reach the vicinity of the Arc de Triomphe and were blocking the sides of the avenue, according to images broadcast by various networks.
Since dawn, the police had been deployed throughout Paris and its access points to prevent the arrival of convoys. They did it in places like Porte de Saint Cloud, southwest of the capital, where up to 450 vehicles were intercepted. At other entrances, the agents also stopped caravans of several dozen cars and motorcycles. Even so, some vehicles managed to enter Paris. In total, the press estimates that some 3,000 were advancing, since the middle of last week, from various parts of France, heading to Paris to participate in the protest, organized by social networks and messaging services such as Telegram. Faced with police blockades, many chose to leave their cars on the outskirts of the city and use public transport to demonstrate in the capital against the vaccine passport, a protest organized every Saturday and for months for which they had permission to to March.
That is how Jacques and half a dozen other protesters, all from Aix en Provence, managed to get to one of the permitted demonstrations. “We have been in a situation for two years that is not normal. There is something that stinks, ”this man told this newspaper, contrary to the health passport and, like many of his companions, without vaccinating. He compared the current situation to “the darkest moments of the 20th century.” “We have lost confidence in the institutions,” he added before continuing the demonstration. Organized by the former number two of the National Front, Florian Philippot, it is one of the most attended protests of its kind; the last appointment brought together a few thousand people.
“The problem is not only health, it is human, social and even philosophical and ideological. The question is, which France do we want tomorrow? Just the ultraliberal path of Macron and his aristocracy? Or do we want some more justice?” asked Said, a nurse who says he was forced to get vaccinated so as not to lose his job. “We have to fight against this situation and recover our freedoms. Nowadays, terrorists have more freedoms than us, ”said Bernadette, a former medical worker who is now retired and who continues to refuse to be vaccinated, despite the fact that her refusal does not allow her to have a coffee outside the house.
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The local and national authorities had promised firmness in the face of these protests, which threaten to disrupt the government again, just two months before the presidential elections in which Macron aspires to repeat his mandate.
“In his instructions, the Minister of the Interior [Gerald Darmanin] He has been very clear about the need for Paris not to be blocked (…) we are going to work so that freedom of movement can be exercised, ”explained the prefect of Paris police, Didier Lallement. The Prime Minister, Jean Castex, also promised “firmness” in the face of this movement that seeks to blockade the capital as thousands of trucks have been doing since the end of January in Ottawa. “If they block circulation or try to block the capital, they will have to be very firm,” he said on France 2.
In an open letter addressed to the president and the prime minister, the members of Convoy France, one of the Telegram accounts most followed by protesters, speak of freedom: “For two years, [nos] has deprived [de ella] due to exceptional circumstances that no longer exist today. They also demand an end to “all obligation to be vaccinated or to have a covid or vaccination certificate”, among others.
In an interview with the regional newspaper Ouest-FranceMacron called for calm on Friday. “We are all collectively fatigued by what we have lived through for two years. This fatigue manifests itself in various ways: in some it is anguish, others depression. We see a very strong mental suffering in our young people and in the less young. And sometimes, that tiredness also translates into anger. I understand and respect it, but I call for calm, ”he declared.
The French government announced on Friday that, as of February 28, the obligation to wear a mask indoors where the vaccination passport is required, such as bars and restaurants, will end. It is also going to lighten school protocols and, as it has progressed, throughout the week and if the health situation continues to improve, the vaccine passport could disappear between the end of March and April. Right with the arrival of spring. Also, of the presidential elections.
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