Paris
Residents of Paris took to the streets on Saturday in yet another demonstration against mandatory COVID-19 passes, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
Earlier in the day, the protesters gathered at the Champ de Mars park near the Eiffel Tower, at the behest of Florian Philippot, the leader of the right-wing Patriots party, who delivered a brief speech before the column began moving.
The protesters started the march after 12:30 GMT, playing music by French artists, waving national flags and chanting “freedom, freedom.” Many have the word written on their placards. The protesters are also calling on French President Emmanuel Macron to resign.
Meanwhile, two other protests against the COVID-19 passes were organized by the Yellow Vests movement. Other French cities are also scheduled to have their protests.
In July, Macron announced a series of new restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19, including a special health pass indicating that a person has either been vaccinated or has a negative test result for COVID-19. At the end of last month, the pass was already required in museums, theaters, movies and all public events attended by over 50 people.
Starting August 9, it became mandatory in restaurants, bars, shopping centers, airplanes and long-distance trains.
The move caused widespread consternation in French society, with protests against the measure rocking the country every other week. Last Saturday, a total of 160,000 voiced their objections across France.—AP
