France: Thousands of people protest against the health passport for the fourth week in a row

For the fourth weekend in a row, Opponents of France’s COVID-19 control measures, such as the health card and mandatory vaccination of health workers, have demonstrated in dozens of cities in the country.

For this Saturday, they have been summoned Protests in more than 150 cities, rallies coinciding with a new message from President Emmanuel Macron: “vaccinate”Only when the number of French people who have received at least one dose reaches 44 million (about 66% of the population).

On Thursday, the Constitutional Court upheld the measure, adopted in July under the law, which provides for Expand the use of the health permit to more public places, and stipulates the obligation of health workers to vaccinate.

The authority, which ensures compliance with the Magna Carta, has estimated that This certification represents a “balanced match” between public liberties and health protection

Thus, from Monday, it will be necessary to file Vaccination certificate, negative PCR test or disease recovery certificate for access to cafes, restaurants, showrooms and professional fairs, or to perform A long trip by plane, train or bus.

The authorities took this decision with the aim of encouraging the population to get vaccinated, because they confirm it The number of emergency room hospitalizations and daily deaths from coronavirus are increasing again.

The Ministry of the Interior appreciates participation in At least 204,000 people on July 31 (They were 161,000 a week ago). “We expect about the same number of demonstrators” on Saturday, a police source said.

Macron, I don’t want your (health) pass. NS Macron, we don’t even want to see you. It was some of the slogans that I heard in Paris where at least A thousand people gathered to protest against the police. Among them, many “yellow jackets”.

a large part of the demonstrators, Some of those vaccinated see this premise of health passing a “disguised obligation to vaccinate” and a “monitoring association”, and fear that employers may suspend a worker’s contract temporarily if he or she does not have the pass in order.

However, in the same decision of the Constitutional Council in which the scope of the health passport was also expanded I know He vetoed the possibility of dismissing people who do not have this receipt from temporary jobs. the Employees can be suspended, without pay, if they lack certification when the nature of their work requires it.

“Although I would have no other choice, I will boycott all companies that ask for it. I am an innovator, I go to fairs and markets and there will be certain activities that I will not be able to do. It will be complicated financially, but I agree to take the risk, ”explained Marie, one of the participants in the Paris protest.

There are also those who Refuses to use them ‘like guinea pigs’ – According to him – of the new vaccines.

Meanwhile, in the city Cambrai, where a hundred demonstrators gathered, some shops were closed as a protest against the health card.

Last week they lived in some parades, Clashes with regime forces and insults to the media. Law enforcement officers arrested 35 people and injured seven officers, although the day generally went without notable incidents.

“We are responsible citizens, fully committed to defending our fundamental rights and liberties. Today we are irreplaceable, we are united and without political labels,” said the coordinator of one of the Paris marches, Sophie Tessier, of the Paris Freedom Group.

Once again, the far right led other mobilization movements in the capital Florian Philippot, the former right-hand man of Marine Le Pen, is excluded from his party, Agrupación Nacional, who criticized on Twitter that the president, Emmanuel Macron, exercised only “through fear and lies”.

“The government says from the start something to the contrary. No basis, no logic‘, she also criticized Mary, for whom the obligatory nature of the mask was outside the ‘beginning of the end’.

In Montpellier, protesters insulted and treated a pharmacist who was testing COVID-19 in their establishment “collaborator” (as those who helped the Nazi regime in France were called) and “murderer”.

(with information from the AFP and EFE)

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