More than 160,000 people marched in France last weekend, according to the authorities, against the extension of the health pass approved on the night of Sunday to Monday by parliamentarians.
The rallies took place in more than 160 cities, and the demonstrators were much more numerous than the previous week when the scale of the mobilization had already surprised.
To read also: Health pass: "A profound and unprecedented questioning of our model of society"
These events do not only concern France.
After those which had shaken Denmark, Switzerland, Austria and Canada at the beginning of spring, the anti-sanitary restriction movement has resumed with more vigor in several European countries.
In Italy, England, Ireland or Greece, processions marched this weekend in the streets of the capitals and large cities of these countries against restrictive health policies.
These demonstrations are gaining momentum as the idea of a health pass to counter the new epidemic wave due to the delta variant is gaining ground.
In Italy, the government announced the introduction of a health pass, mandatory from August 6 to access closed public places such as bars, restaurants, and other places of culture and leisure. Called "
green pass
", it can be used by people vaccinated with a first dose, those who have performed an anti-covid test within 48 hours or people who have already had the disease.
Thousands of people marched on Saturday against these measures in the major cities of the country, denouncing, in the same vein as the French demonstrators, "
the health dictatorship
", reports the daily
Corriere de la Sierra
.
From Milan to Rome, but also in Turin, Naples or Florence, the mobilizations were organized via social networks for a zero day of
the National Movement Against the Green Pass
, again according to the Italian daily.
Italy currently records a few thousand new cases every day but few deaths: as of July 24, the country had 5,000 new infections for 5 deaths.
But the underlying trend is upward.
"
World rally for freedom
"
In the United Kingdom, several thousand people have also mobilized for this "world rally for freedom", a term that appeared on social networks during the protests that had taken place in the spring, especially in Canada, also challenging health policies. restrictive. In London or Manchester, demonstrators denounced the introduction of a health pass at the start of the school year when the British government has chosen to lift the restrictions since July 19 and for the whole summer. The United Kingdom is one of the first countries to be affected by the new epidemic wave at the beginning of June. The contaminations curve has been weakening for a few days with still more than 31,000 new cases declared on July 24.
Crowds of protesters also marched through the streets in Ireland, in Dublin in particular.
More than a thousand people went to the Prime Minister's residence on Saturday to protest against the vaccination passport.
Restaurants, pubs and other bars can reopen their doors from today but only to people with a vaccination certificate, via their health card or the European health passport.
The country enjoys a 68% rate of complete vaccination for the adult population, as announced by the head of the Irish health service, Paul Reid.
Read also: The health pass and "normal life"
As in Italy or France, the demonstrators chanted "
freedom
", reports the Irish daily Irish Independent.
Also according to this newspaper, it is far-right activists involved in anti-vaccines who are at the origin of these demonstrations.
Also in Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland, several hundred people gathered for a demonstration despite the ban by the authorities.
In Greece and Australia, clashes with the police
If the demonstrations took place in general calm even if several clashes with the police were noted in Paris or in London, it is undoubtedly in Greece that the tension is the strongest. Demonstrations have been linked in the country for a month, and even more this last Saturday after the adoption last week by the parliament of the vaccination obligation for certain professions, and in particular caregivers. Several thousand people gathered in front of the Greek parliament on Saturday. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters. According to a police official interviewed by the Reuters news agency, some protesters threw Molotov cocktails at the authorities.
Quarrels have also erupted in Australia with Sydney Mounted Police. Thousands of people demonstrated against the lockdown ordered in Australia's largest city earlier this month. Police have warned that these scenes "
would no longer be tolerated,
" Reuters notes. Similar protests have taken place in Melbourne and other cities across the country. Australia has been trying to curb the increase in contamination since the beginning of July, which mainly results from the arrival of the Delta variant.
In other countries, disputes could arise, as in Germany where Chancellor Angela Merkel warned via her chief of staff, and returning to her announcements of last week, that "
vaccinated people will certainly have more freedom than people unvaccinated
”.
