French capital sees 11th weekend of protests against COVID-19 passes
Sep 25, 2021
Paris [France], September 26 (ANI/Sputnik): Protesters against mandatory COVID-19 passes took to the streets of Paris for an 11th consecutive Saturday, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
The demonstrators gathered near the Gare de Lyon railroad terminal in the city's 12th district and marched across Paris to the Sacre-Coeur basilica on the Montmartre hill.
The procession was shadowed by police officers.
A separate protest, organized by Florian Philippot, the leader of the right-wing Patriots party, started at the Place de Barcelone square in the 16th district.
According to the BFMTV broadcaster, some 64,000 people took part in almost 200 protests against COVID-19 passes on Saturday nationwide, with 7,200 in Paris alone.
In July, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a series of new restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19, including a special health pass indicating that a person has either been vaccinated or has a negative test result.
The pass is required in museums, theaters, restaurants, bars, shopping centers, as well as on planes and long-distance trains.
The move caused widespread consternation in French society, with protests against the measure rocking the country every week, although the number of protesters is steadily going down. (ANI/Sputnik)
