Conflicts & War

French protests condemn health pass, a ‘sort of dictatorship’

By Antonio Torres del Cerro

Paris, Aug 14 (EFE).- For the fifth consecutive week, thousands of French demonstrators have taken to the streets in several cities across the country to protest against measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, “a sort of dictatorship,” some of them said.

Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Nantes and Montpellier are some of the cities where protestors have condemned the entry into force of the health pass, which is mandatory to enter cinemas, museums, trains and other public spaces.

“I stand up to this sort of dictatorship that France has become,” said Carlos Alberto Bursa, a lawyer of Italian background who led one of three demonstrations in Paris.

The health pass is issued to prove that someone is fully vaccinated, has a negative Covid-19 test result, or has recently recovered from the disease.

Valérie, 54 years old, chose to participate in the protest after watching videos posted by Bursa online.

She works in catering at a health care centre in Paris.

“I was forced to get the vaccine out of fear of losing my job, I think they’ve poisoned me. I came here because my boss made me sign a paper allowing me to control other people’s health passes. I am no policewoman, nor a doctor,” she said.

Another two protests took place in Paris, one organized by the minority far-right party The Patriots, while another demonstration was led by groups identifying as “yellow vests.”

French flags dominated the streets at The Patriots’ rally, while the yellow vests had in their ranks a plethora of political branches, including far-left and anti-establishment groups.

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