The anti-health pass protests in France experienced a slight rebound on Saturday, when 25,500 people demonstrated across the country according to the authorities, for the 23rd consecutive weekend of mobilization.
The Ministry of the Interior has identified 131 actions across the country.
According to the Paris police headquarters, there were 5,500 demonstrators in the capital, including 4,900 at the call of the Patriots by Florian Philippot (far right).
The demonstrators were nearly 5,000 more than last Saturday, when 20,646 people demonstrated against the health pass in France, including 4,200 in Paris, according to the authorities.
Two weeks ago, on December 4, the demonstrators were 18,600, according to the Interior, including 3,400 in Paris.
The mobilization, launched in mid-July, had experienced a gradual decline on average since August 7, when a peak of 237,000 demonstrators, according to figures from the authorities.
Boosted by the announcement of the vaccine pass?
In the South-East, the "refractory" to vaccination and the health pass were this Saturday 450 in Marseille and 300 in Aix-en-Provence, according to figures from the Bouches-du-Rhône police headquarters, and 700 in Toulon and 20 in Fréjus according to the prefecture of Var.
In Avignon, 360 demonstrators were counted, according to the Directorate of Public Security of Vaucluse.
Prime Minister Jean Castex announced Friday evening that the health pass would become at the beginning of 2022 a "vaccine pass", which can only be activated with a complete vaccination schedule and no longer a simple negative test for Covid-19.
To enter places subject to this pass (restaurants, places of culture, recreation, etc.), a negative Covid test will no longer work: you must necessarily have been vaccinated (or cured of the Covid) and have received a dose of reminder.
Read also Covid-19: date, places, controls ... what we know (or not) about the vaccination pass
Regarding access to trains, "this must be clarified soon", but "the working track" is also that "trains currently subject to the pass are subject to this vaccination obligation", according to a ministerial source.
The bill dedicated to the "vaccine pass" should be examined in the Council of Ministers on January 5, then debated in the hemicycle of the National Assembly from Monday January 10.
