They were 161,000 on Saturday, pounding the pavement throughout France, according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior.
From Paris to Nice, via Lyon and Bordeaux, the anti-health pass demonstrations gathered a massive crowd for the second weekend in a row.
Often criticized, sometimes accused of conspiracy, the discontented nevertheless seem to enjoy a certain popularity rating in France.
According to an Ifop poll published in
Le Journal du dimanche
, 35% of the population claims to “
support
” or feel “
sympathy
” for the movement.
On the contrary, 49% of French people say they are opposed to it and 16% are “
indifferent
”.
Read also: Covid-19: the mobilization against the health pass is gaining momentum
"
We are not in the marginality or in the anecdotal, it is not a handful of ridiculous
", analyzes Jean-Philippe Dubrulle, director of studies at Ifop, for the
JDD
.
"
Even if the participants are in the excess, they manage to attract the sympathy and the support of a third of the population
", he notes.
Profiles close to "yellow vests"
What is the profile of these supporters of the movement? They are mainly young (51% among those under 35), are often craftsmen or traders (50%) and come from the modest or poor class (44%). They are also more numerous in small towns (46%). Politically, the supporters of the anti-pass are especially close to La France insoumise (57%), but also to the National Rally (49%). The vast majority of them (79%) refuse in any case to be vaccinated.
But this support from part of the population is not the only lesson of the survey, which also points to a certain proximity with the "yellow vests".
The support of the latter is thus 54% to be in favor of the protest against the pass, almost 20 points more than the average of the population.
And those who “
feel like yellow vests
” are 69% to support the movement.
"
It is this somewhat neglected France, which struggles and which we had already identified in the crisis of yellow vests, which says the most under support for these demonstrations against the health pass
", comments Jean-Philippe Dubrulle.
Read also: Covid-19: are the sanitary pass the new "yellow vests"?
On the other hand, 74% of French people say they are "
shocked
" by the wearing of yellow stars during rallies, including 54% "
very shocked
". Conversely, a quarter (26%) of the population is not, including 12% “
not at all
”. Here again, the least shocked are the youngest (39% among those under 35), artisans and traders (47%) and the lower classes (36%) and the poor (33%). They are also more numerous among supporters of LFI (41%) and RN (37%), and among those who refuse to be vaccinated (69%).
