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Placemark: Place Charles de Gaulle, Paris
Opponents of the French corona measures have made it into the center of Paris – although the police are still forbidden to drive until at least Monday.
The demonstrators set out from several cities for the French capital days ago, many in minibuses and mobile homes.
They call their protest action »Freedom Convoy«.
Their role models are the truck drivers who have been blocking the center of the Canadian capital Ottawa for days.
The prefecture of Paris opposed the demonstrators with around 7,000 police officers.
At toll stations and checkpoints, the officials should prevent the convoys from paralyzing the city center at the weekend.
Vain.
The participants in the action are demonstrating against the restrictions on the unvaccinated.
In part, they see themselves in the tradition of the yellow vest movement of 2018 and 2019, which wanted to express their general displeasure with the Macron government.
Solène, demonstrator from Pau:
»We no longer understand anything.
There are rules, but we no longer understand them.
All I understand is that we now live in a Nazi dictatorship.
Serious.
When you see the police, you feel uncomfortable.
I no longer feel protected.«
During the controls, the police pulled several hundred vehicles from traffic.
In some cases, the officers found petrol cans, knives and slingshots in the cars.
Placemark: Place d'Italia, Paris
On Saturday afternoon, the police then used tear gas against the demonstrators.
Despite this, she was only able to disperse the protests to a limited extent.
A total of around 3,000 vehicles are said to be involved in the convoys.
After stopping in Paris, parts of the movement plan to continue to Brussels on Monday.
A "European meeting" of the "freedom convoys" is to take place there.
Belgium has also banned the demonstration.