After a first day of demonstrations on July 14, thousands of people gathered again this Saturday the 17th to protest against Emmanuel Macron's announcements on the extension of the health pass, which must be adopted on Monday in the Council of Ministers .
Read also: Antoine Flahault: "The general health pass is as effective as confinement"
Thousands of people gathered in the big cities in France, supported by personalities from all political stripes, such as François Ruffin (La France insoumise), Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (Debout la France), Florian Philippot (Les Patriotes ) and François Asselineau (Republican Popular Union).
Three processions in Paris
In Paris,
several thousand people, in at least three rallies, demonstrated Saturday afternoon against vaccination, the "
dictatorship
" or the health pass, noted AFP journalists.
The first procession, made up of a few thousand people, started from
the Royal Palace
(1st arrondissement) before crossing the Seine with cries of “
Freedom
”, “
No to the health dictatorship
” or “
Macron resignation
”. At the head of the procession, where the French flags flourished, were the former number 2 of the National Front Florian Philippot, the former LREM deputy covidosceptic Martine Wonner, the singer Francis Lalanne or the former muse "
yellow vests
" Jacline Mouraud .
"
I was born in Portugal under the dictatorship of Salazar, I do not want us to relive that
", said Fernanda, 53, support of Florian Philippot. "
It is the beginning of something extremely strong in the resistance
", launched the latter, now a candidate for the presidential election of 2022, and who is trying to embody the structuring of the anti-health pass.
At the same time, around 1,500 people demonstrate in the streets of the
south of the capital
, in a disparate procession, preceded by a police cordon. Leaving around 2:30 p.m. from the 14th arrondissement, the procession headed for the district of Jussieu (5th arrondissement), accompanied by banners such as "
wanted French Democratic Republic, disappeared on July 12, 2021
", "
no to the sanitary pass, stop at the dictatorship
”, and slogans“
Freedom
”,“
Macron dictator
”.
“
We are there for the demands of the yellow vests and the restrictions on freedoms.
It is not one more freedom-killing law that makes us go out into the street.
We have always been in the street
”, declared the“
yellow vest
”Jérôme Rodrigues.
“
We are not anti-vaccines at all.
We just want everyone to have the freedom to be vaccinated or not.
PCR tests may be sufficient and then they must be left free,
”launched Aurélie and Tiphaine, in their thirties, both employees in a shopping center in the Paris region.
Finally, a few dozen people took part in another unauthorized gathering at
Place de la République
.
To read also: Skeptics, caregivers, former "yellow vests": how the resistance to the sanitary pass is organized
Thousands of people all over France
In Perpignan
, some 1,200 people demonstrated by chanting “
Macron resignation
” or “
freedom, freedom
” while the prefecture is stepping up measures to contain the explosion of Covid-19 cases in the department.
Some 400 people had gathered in the middle of the morning in front of the prefecture before parading in the historic center of the Catalan city, noted journalists of AFP.
"
So that's democracy in France,
" could one read on a sign held by a young woman. Another demonstrator was holding a card on which she had written: “
No to compulsory vaccination. Vaccination freedom is a right. Hands off our children
”.
Several people wore yellow stars on their T-shirts and carried signs drawing a parallel between the hunt for Jews and what they say against vaccine opponents.
A protester in fatigues, particularly angry, verbally attacked two AFP journalists.
"
Why are you lying, reporters?
Why don't you say that we are under a dictatorship?
You are accomplices!
", He launched, before threatening to"
blow
their
minds
"if they did not leave the premises.
Read also: Covid-19: sovereignists try to unite against the health pass
In Lille,
2,000 people gathered on the Place de la République.
According to information from France Bleu Nord, references to World War II were numerous in the procession.
In Dijon
, the police used tear gas and tram traffic was briefly interrupted by demonstrators chanting “
Freedom!
Freedom !
".
Demonstrations were held in many other cities in France. Some 400 people marched in the morning in Quimper, 3000 people in Strasbourg according to the
Latest News from Alsace
, 1700 in Clermont-Ferrand, 2300 in Valence (Drôme). Processions were also observed in Pau, Caen, Clermont-Ferrand, Chambéry, Bordeaux, Aix-en-Provence, Narbonne, Antibes, Marseille, Lyon and Metz.
