The mobilization against the health pass is gathering momentum. This Saturday more than 200 concentrations are organized throughout France, to denounce a “deprivation of liberties”.
This is the fifth consecutive weekend of protests. According to a territorial intelligence note addressed to the government, 250,000 people are expected throughout the territory. If this figure is confirmed, it would be double the first mobilization against the health pass that brought together some 110,000 people on July 17.
This August 14, important meetings should take place in Toulon, Nice, Toulouse, Lille, Perpignan or Marseille. As for the capital, three gatherings are planned. The first will leave the Place de la Catalogne (14) at 2:30 p.m., at the initiative of the former number 2 of the National Rally, Florian Philippot.
Another procession will be led by yellow vests for those who refuse to march alongside the extreme right. It will start from the Golden Gate (12) at 1 pm. Finally, the last meeting will begin at Place de la Bourse (2nd) at 1:30 p.m.
How to explain the success of these demonstrations? Still, according to the intelligence note sent to the government and revealed by the press the day before, these meetings seduce some French people on their peaceful side.
In fact, very few overflows were recorded there. These demonstrations also attract all kinds of profiles, from conspirators to far-right activists, passing through yellow vests, caregivers, families … Their point in common: the participants in the processions all denounce a “dictatorship of health” and the forced vaccination.
In any case, the government remains stagnant in its positions. Emmanuel Macron thus described the protesters as “some tens of thousands of citizens losing their sense” and affirmed, in the columns of Paris party, that “he would not give in to radical violence.”
Health Minister Olivier Véran was upset by the signs brandished during the demonstrations. He denounced “dubious or even completely dirty” slogans. “As hospitals fill up, we are still wondering if we should wait before getting vaccinated,” he added.
From August 9, the health pass is mandatory in bars, restaurants and long-distance transport. You must also show up to access cinemas, swimming pools, sports halls, museums or even discos.