Thousands take to the streets in protests in France against the vaccination passport.

RFI - Protests in France took on a new dimension after Emmanuel Macron’s statements about the unvaccinated: the president publicly declared that he wanted to make life difficult for the French who refuse the vaccine because “irresponsible people are not citizens”. The statement, which clearly, albeit informally, marks Macron’s entry into the 2022 presidential election arena, provoked a strong reaction in French society and had a direct impact on the demonstrations this Saturday (8) in several cities.

The vaccination passport, if approved, will no longer accept negative Covid tests for access to leisure and cultural venues, which should further isolate unvaccinated people in France. In Paris, protesters against the document gathered in a procession that departed for Les Invalides around 15 pm (11 am Brasília time) at the Palais Royal square, following a call from the president of the far-right Patriots party, and presidential candidate, Florian Philippot. 

Marine Le Pen's former right-hand man denounced "the country of tyranny, of segregation, where millions of people are isolated." In the crowd, a 57-year-old librarian, declaring herself close to the ideas of the radical left-wing party France Unbowed and the ecologists, said she felt "uncomfortable" with Philippot's presence. But, even so, she wanted to "protest against the passport that becomes an obligation disguised as vaccination."

A police source described the protest at the Palais Royal in Paris as "tense." The same source described the protest held on Boulevard de l'Hôpital (in the southeast of the capital), initiated by the Yellow Vests, as having "the inclinations of certain radical members to accelerate the demonstration, but this was quickly contained."

The vaccination passport bill, approved by French MPs on Thursday, is due to be debated in the Senate next week. In Lyon, a small crowd of demonstrators of all ages, few of whom wore masks, gathered in a relaxed atmosphere at Place Bellecour in the city center. Among them were some "yellow vests," French tricolor flags, and a red banner of the CGT union. Slogans denouncing "social apartheid" and boos against President Emmanuel Macron and his prime minister punctuated the demonstration.

"Broken trust"

In Bordeaux, between 500 and 1.000 people, according to the police, and 9.000 according to the organizers, demonstrated despite the rain, chanting slogans such as "Macron, we're telling you to go to hell." "When will we have a real vaccine?" and "Trust broken" were among the phrases on handmade signs.

French President Emmanuel Macron caused a stir in France on Tuesday by declaring he was "very keen to irritate" the unvaccinated by "limiting their access to social activities as much as possible." He asserted and confirmed on Friday that he would "fully" stand by these words.

A protester from Bordeaux, unvaccinated against Covid-19 "but not an anti-vaxxer," said she was protesting "for the first time in her life" because the president's words "were the last straw." Next to her, another protester, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she was "outraged, being a mother of two," by the president's "lack of respect."

In the east, 1.250 protesters marched in Colmar and 1.900 in Mulhouse, according to the Haut-Rhin prefecture. There were 1.500 in Strasbourg, according to the Bas-Rhin prefecture. Authorities counted 121.000 protesters against vaccination and the health pass nationwide on September 11, and approximately 237.000 participants on August 7.