Paris (AFP)

As France celebrated its national day of July 14 on Wednesday, several thousand people demonstrated in the country in the name of "freedom" to protest against Emmanuel Macron's announcements on the health pass, vaccination and "dictatorship" .

In some cities such as Toulouse, the mobilisations began in the morning, when the military parade was being held on the famous avenue des Champs-Elysées, under the gaze of the Head of State who presided over these festivities for the last time in its five-year term.

Demonstrators protest after statements by the president on Monday evening, who announced the establishment of an obligation to be vaccinated for caregivers and other professions, as well as the massive extension of the health pass to most public places .

According to the draft bill obtained by AFP on Wednesday, the operator of a place that would fail to meet future health pass control obligations will be liable to a fine of up to 45,000 euros and one year. from prison.

The text also creates a new reason for dismissal and extends to any infected person the solitary confinement measures for ten days.

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In Paris, several processions brought together some 2,000 people, notably at the start of République and Place de Clichy.

At the end of the afternoon, on Boulevard Magenta, a few projectile jets were launched and tear gas used by the police, noted an AFP journalist.

The declared route was not respected, regretted the prefecture of police in a tweet, deploring "throwing projectiles" and "trash fires".

"Against the dictatorship", "against the sanitary pass", could one hear in the ranks of the demonstration.

Yann Fontaine, a 29-year-old notary's clerk, came from Berry to demonstrate in Paris.

Rejecting the label of "conspirator", he explains to AFP that "the sanitary pass is segregation".

"Macron plays on fears, it's revolting. In my entourage, I know people who will be vaccinated just to be able to take their children to the movies, not to protect others from serious forms of Covid", regrets- he.

- "Not guinea pigs" -

Other demonstrations took place in several cities in France.

According to the police, at 5:00 p.m., around 18,000 people were identified, including 1,500 in Toulouse and 1,000 in Lyon where tensions took place in the city center.

In Lille, around 300 people gathered in the afternoon, noted an AFP journalist.

"Freedom, freedom", "No to compulsory vaccination", "we are not guinea pigs" chanted the crowd, among which a few white coats, a handful of "yellow vests".

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Charlotte, in her thirties, saleswoman, manifests for the first time alongside her father who says she had health problems after a meningitis vaccine.

"After (Emmanuel) Macron's speech, I felt a great revolt", relates this mother of two children, "not a revolutionary at heart", seeing in the health past "a devious obligation, not to use the obligatory word ".

In Bordeaux, several hundred people took part in a rally in the city center and then in a parade.

During the long collective speech, a mother explained that she was looking for "resistant doctors" to "give false vaccines" to her two children.

"With vaccines, we want to force us to drive cars that have not done their crash test," also assured Baptiste, who presented himself as a "yellow vest from the start".

In Nantes, the demonstration brought together some 800 people, according to the prefecture and in Rouen more than 700.

In Strasbourg, 500 people, according to the prefecture, demonstrated in the city center.

"We are here to defend our freedoms" and "our rights", declared in a megaphone one of the demonstrators.

A group of vaccination opponents forced the portal of the Haute-Savoie prefecture in Annecy on Wednesday, without committing further damage.

They left the scene on their own without the intervention of the police, said the prefecture, specifying that this gathering had not been declared.

burs-rfo / ito / it

© 2021 AFP