Demonstrations took place on Saturday in many cities in France against the extension of the health pass and in the name of the ” freedom “, for the third consecutive Saturday.

At the demonstration against the health pass: “They take us for idiots”

The authorities plan to mobilize 150,000 people. Last Saturday, the demonstrations had gathered 161,000 people and 110,000 a week earlier.

Tensions and “tear gas” fire

In Paris, the first event started from the Villiers metro station (17th century) at 2 p.m. in the direction of Place de la Bastille (11th century). Shortly before 3 p.m., some tensions with the police enameled the procession near the Moulin-Rouge.

Our journalist on site, Lucas Burel, observed tensions, as part of the procession tried to leave the planned route.

“Tear” grenades were fired by the police as the procession passed through the 10th arrondissement of Paris.

The procession arrived at the end of the afternoon at the Bastille, the end of the route.

Before the procession sets off, the ” yellow vest “ Jérôme Rodrigues had castigated:

“The members of the government, the members of the media who are there to sell you the effectiveness of a vaccine without even having any proof”, saying to feel “Demonized”.

Amélie, 28, came from Seine-Saint-Denis. She took part in all the demonstrations, two weeks ago in Paris and last weekend in Le Havre. She deplores:

“We scare people to pass laws that are more and more liberticidal, supposedly to better return to normal, and yet the state of health emergency continues again and again. “

“A false pass”

Valérie (first name changed), 45, educator specializing in an addiction center, forced to be vaccinated to continue her work, considers “the risk of the vaccine greater than that which she runs by catching the Covid” since she is “Young, healthy and free from co-morbidities”. She plans to “go on sick leave or use a fake pass”.

Another demonstration started after 2:30 p.m. near the Montparnasse station (6th district), at the call of the former n ° 2 of the FN and president of the Patriots Florian Philippot. Wearing many flags ” blue White Red “ or a torn European flag, the demonstrators, without masks for the most part, move towards the Ministry of Health (7th).

Florian Philippot, the opportunist who wants to take the lead of the “antivax” crusade

The president of the pro-Frexit UPR (Popular Republican Union) party François Asselineau for his part announced Friday to be positive for Covid-19, and therefore prevented from demonstrating against the health pass, which he judges “Absurd, unjust and totally liberticidal”.

More than 3,000 police and gendarmes are mobilized to supervise the demonstrators and secure sensitive places, a week after demonstrators were pushed back from the Champs-Elysées, access to which was blocked this Saturday.

150 cities in France

Events are also planned in more than 150 cities in France, with a potentially large turnout in Toulon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Metz, Nantes and Pau.

In Montpellier, several hundred people, including many yellow vests, began to mass at the beginning of the afternoon on the Place de la Comédie, to the cries of ” Freedom “, noted an AFP journalist. “Macron / Big Pharma, same fight = assassins”, read on a sign.

In Strasbourg, 3,200 people, according to the police, marched in the city center, without overflows and in the presence of ex-LREM deputy Martine Wonner.

Tribune – Macron, the health pass or the illusion of control

Grouped around the hashtags # manif31juillet and #PassDeLaHonte on social networks, the opposition to government measures federates anti-health, anti-vaccine or anti-containment protesters, with protean demands.

“Health terror”

In the processions, where there are also many “yellow vests”, the demonstrators brandish signs “Macron clears”, “health terror”, “no to the past”, “no to the health dictatorship”.

The health pass was adopted definitively on Sunday evening, after six days of heated debates in Parliament.

Health and freedom pass: “We put our finger in a gear”

Already applied in cultural and leisure venues since July 21, its extension to cafes, fairs, exhibitions, restaurants and trains is scheduled for August 9. In the meantime, the Constitutional Council will render its decision on the law on August 5.

New confinements are put in place this weekend in Martinique and Reunion, two territories where vaccination coverage is low and the incidence rate is increasing sharply.

Thousands of demonstrators in Reunion

In Reunion, two processions gathered thousands of demonstrators on Saturday, including one marked by exchanges of stones and tear gas in Saint-Denis.

The first three patients hospitalized due to Covid-19 in Martinique, where hospital services are saturated, must be transferred to Paris on Saturday by a medical flight.

In mainland France, the epidemic is on the rise, particularly in tourist departments and health measures have been introduced at the departmental level.

People not vaccinated against Covid-19 represent around 85% of patients hospitalized in France, including in intensive care, and 78% of deaths from the virus, according to a study published on Friday.

More than 50% of the population fully vaccinated

France exceeded the threshold of 50% of its fully vaccinated population on Tuesday evening, a level however still far from the collective immunity threshold estimated at around 90% with the new Delta variant.

According to the results of a Harris Interactive study for LCI carried out at the end of July and published on Friday, 4 in 10 French people say they support the demonstrations against the health pass.

Among the French who support the rallies, 65% justify their support by “The impression of being forced to do what they must do, of not having a choice”.

According to another Ipsos-Sopra Steria survey for franceinfo and Le Parisien on July 16, 62% of French people said they were in favor of the health pass to enter public places and 69% of compulsory vaccination for caregivers.