According to the interior ministry, 38,000 people protested across France on Saturday, just two days before a vaccination health permit is required to participate in public functions.
From Monday, those aged 16 and above will be required to provide proof of having been vaccinated in order to enter restaurants or bars, participate in leisure activities, or utilise interregional public transportation.
Except for access to health services, a negative Covid test will no longer suffice.
Opponents of the proposal claim that the strengthened regulations will restrict daily ‘liberties’ and have agitated against what they call ‘social apartheid.’
According to the government, an estimated 5,200 people marched in Paris, mostly in support of nationalist and anti-EU presidential candidate Florian Philippot.
While waving French flags and carrying banners demanding ‘independence,’ some demonstrators took their children along, and many of those marching did not wear masks.
Some chanted in marches, ‘Vaccine pass — absolute opposition!’
Sophie, a 44-year-old lawyer, and Franck, a 56-year-old IT professional, told AFP they had received their vaccinations but did not want their daughter to be forced to do so.
Sophie insisted that two years into the pandemic, the time had come to believe in collective immunity.
Anaelle, a nurse in Bordeaux, in the southwest, called mandatory vaccination ‘shameful.’
‘Vaccinated people get sick, so what’s the point?’she wondered.
Despite the fact that the number of protesters has decreased in recent weeks, a vocal minority remains upset with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has made it clear that he intends to exert pressure on the unvaccinated until they accept a coronavirus vaccine.
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