Thousands of people drove towards Paris on Friday in convoys from across France, with many hoping to blockade the capital to protest against Covid vacci-nation rules and other restrictions despite police warnings to back off.
Inspired by Canadian truckers paralysing border traffic with the United States, the French protesters set off from Bayonne, Perpignan, Lyon, Lille, Stras-bourg and elsewhere with the aim of converging on Paris by Friday evening.
A police source said around 1,800 vehicles were estimated to be closing in on the capital. The dem-onstrators include anti-Covid vaccination activists, but also people angry at fast-rising energy prices.
They are demanding a withdrawal of the gov-ernment´s vaccine pass, which is required for access to many public spaces, and more help with their energy bills.
“People need to see us, and to listen to the peo-ple who just want to live a normal and free life,” said Lisa, a 62-year-old retired health worker who joined a convoy of more than 1,000 vehicles leaving Chateaubourg in the western Brittany region early Friday. —AFP
