The anti-passers keep up the pressure: they marched in even greater numbers than last Saturday in more than 190 cities in France and promise to return next Saturday. The soap opera continues.
Third Saturday of mobilization of the anti-sanitary pass, this 31 July 2021. The demands remain the same and the slogans therefore remain the same as the two previous Saturdays, July 17 and 24. “Freedom, Freedom”, “Macron resign”, “Macron in prison”, “no to the pass of shame” etc.
How many? This is finally the only question that matters to the executive nine months before the presidential election. How many demonstrators in the streets of 190 cities in France, small, medium and large? Many! In any case, many more than last week when the Ministry of the Interior announced the figure of 161,000 demonstrators for 160 events.
From North to South
Seeing the images circulating on social networks, on TV, or coming from our local correspondents, we can affirm that those who refuse the health pass have responded massively to the organizers’ call. Dense processions in Marseille, Nice, Avignon, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Nantes, Toulouse, Nancy, Metz, Reims, Perpignan, Le Havre, La Rochelle, Brest, Nantes but also Figeac (Lot), Pau… from north to south, from east to west, impressive crowds are opposing the discrimination of French people by the health pass that allows some to access places of leisure and culture, shops, bars, restaurants, transport. And not to the others, not to those who stubbornly refuse the anti-Covid vaccine.
Clashes at Bastille
They were also several tens of thousands to beat the pavement of Paris where four separate marches were organized. With some clashes at the start and finish of one of the rallies, that of the Yellow Vests, which started from the Villiers metro station (17th arrondissement) to the Place de la Bastille. There were a lot of people,” says Leslie. The demonstration went well until Bastille where the demonstrators were caught in a net. The police gassed everyone, including the elderly and children. This is unacceptable.
The demonstration organized by Florian Filippot filled up from Montparnasse to the Ministry of Health, avenue Duquesne, in the 7th district of the capital.
Burned health pass
In Nancy, the demonstration gathered a little over 3,000 people, according to the organizers, including the Bloc Lorraine. No incidents were reported, unlike the previous Saturday. However, two demonstrators were arrested. It is not known who and why.
One of the participants, François Baudin, took the floor to denounce “the regime of inequality of rights where children will be excluded from school, employees from their companies, part of the customers of stores, restaurants, cafes … will be deprived of the most basic rights that the Republic guarantees yet for over two centuries.” François Baudin burned his health pass in public. He was followed by some other demonstrators.
Let’s remember that the law imposing compulsory vaccination for certain categories of the population and the health pass will only come into force on August 9. And that 51% of French people “understand” the claims of the demonstrators and 40% support them, according to a Harris Interactive poll for TF1 and LCI. The authorities, who were counting on the protest movement running out of steam, will have to revise their position. Because from one end of France to the other, all the demonstrators have decided to come back next Saturday. The soap opera continues.
